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Virtual teams are characterized by geographical dispersion, organizational, and cultural heterogeneity, and their members have little history and lateral and weak relationships. Literature denotes the importance of expectations in virtual settings, but individual expectations of virtual team members are hardly investigated. In this article, the author discusses the presence of different kinds of expectations and the impact of mismatches of individual expectations within virtual teams. Psychological contract literature states that expectation mismatches result in negative outcomes, whereas learning literature posits that mismatches enhance learning. These concepts addressing mismatches of expectations are discussed as a theoretical paradox.

Due to geographical dispersion and high use of information technology in virtual settings, face-to-face communication and therefore transfer of knowledge is made more difficult in virtual teams. Virtual teams (VT) are characterized by geographical dispersion, use of IT for communication, members have little history, members have organizational and cultural heterogeneity and members have lateral and weak relationships (Wong & Burton, 2000). We developed a theoretical framework with the use of one case study (a virtual team) description, in which a social network approach was applied in order to stimulate communication, and hence the transfer of knowledge concerning different knowledge areas. We found that by applying a social network approach and evaluating and re-using the data with the VT members the communication structure within the dispersed team became clearer. Furthermore, two types of knowledge transfer were stimulated: organizational knowledge transfer (how to organize a virtual team) and task knowledge transfer (how to solve a problem). Furthermore, it was found that the social context (trust and friendship) facilitated knowledge transfer.

Due to geographical dispersion and high use of information technology in virtual settings, face-to-face communication and therefore transfer of knowledge is made more difficult in virtual teams. Virtual teams (VT) are characterized by geographical dispersion, use of IT for communication, members have little history, members have organizational and cultural heterogeneity and members have lateral and weak relationships (Wong & Burton, 2000). We developed a theoretical framework with the use of one case study (a virtual team) description, in which a social network approach was applied in order to stimulate communication, and hence the transfer of knowledge concerning different knowledge areas. We found that by applying a social network approach and evaluating and re-using the data with the VT members the communication structure within the dispersed team became clearer. Furthermore, two types of knowledge transfer were stimulated: organizational knowledge transfer (how to organize a virtual team) and task knowledge transfer (how to solve a problem). Furthermore, it was found that the social context (trust and friendship) facilitated knowledge transfer.

Virtual organizations are gaining more and more popularity, including the utility industry. Utilities and other related firms combine their competencies and other resources in order to gain better market positions as deregulation sweeps through Europe. However, the realization of the strategic potential of virtual organizations faces several obstacles. One of these difficulties is the fact that participants in the virtual organization have different ways of processing information which can impede their communication. Empirical research is here reported on how the participants' Decision Styles and their effect on interaction patterns in the utility related R&D virtual organization called ISES, primarily located in Sweden. The results include explanations of communication patterns (e.g., input volume, modes, richness and reciprocity), morale, and subproject integration. Furthermore, it was found that different Decision Styles were more or less stimulating team-building, creativeness and cooperation in a virtual organization. Especially the Integrative style was found to promote synergistic interaction among the participants: This suggests the usefulness of a Decision Style approach for team-building more effective virtual organizations through mutual awareness, understanding, and utilization of style differences as well as similarities among the participants.

Due to changing circumstances, organisations start to co-operate with their competitors or with firms from other industries that can complement their range of products. This development of independent partners sharing their resources and equipment with each other can also be seen in the Swedish utility industry and will soon happen to other utility businesses after the European utility deregulation has become a fact. This co-operation can be seen as a virtual organisation and research is performed on how virtual organisations operate and how partners establish and maintain such an organisation. For this reason the R&D virtual organisation called ISES formed around the utility related joint venture EnerSearch AB. When comparing a virtual organisation with traditional organisations, five boundaries are presented that can both create and inhibit learning and communication. Since learning can be viewed as a major objective of a virtual organisation, the five boundaries are discussed in more detail and are related to empirical results in the project ISES. These boundaries are time, space, diversity, structure and distribution and are characteristics of a virtual organisation. By observing this organisation, opportunities and obstacles of a virtual organisation are presented that could help organisations who initiate to establish a virtual organisation. One example is the difference in decision styles or personality of the members of a virtual organisation, which influences information distribution, communication and co-operation.

Due to changing circumstances, organisations start to co-operate with their competitors or with firms form other industries that can complement their range of products. This development of independent partners sharing, their resources and equipment with each other, can also be seen in the Swedish utility industry and will soon happen to other utility businesses after the deregulation of the European utility industry has become a fact. The co-operation can be seen as a virtual organisation and this research project investigates how virtual organisations operate and how partners establish and maintain such an organisation. For this reason the R&D virtual organisation ISES, formed by the utility related joint venture EnerSearch AB, is taken as a case study. When comparing a virtual organisation with traditional organistions, five boundaries are presented that can both create and inhibit learning and communication. Since learning can be viewed as a major objective of a virtual organisation, the five boundaries ar e discussed in more detail and are related to empirical results in the project ISES. These boundaries in time, space, diversity, structure, and distribution are characteristics of a virtual organistion. By observing this organisation, opportunities and obstacles of a virtual organisation are found that could help organisations who would like to establish a virtual organsition. One example is the difference in decision styles or personality of the members of a virtual organistion, which influences information distribution, communication and co-operation.

The purpose of this thesis is two-fold. First the researcher wants to investigate the gradation of information needs, in order to made a classification of important information and communication aspects of the focal organisation EnerSearch. Secondly, in order to state a classification of information, a vocabulary is developed that could help actors to understand the situation under investigation. Method The methodology used is partly an action research methodology, where the researcher plays an active role in interpreting and understanding the situation together with the actors of the focal organisation. The research exerts from a hermeneutic perspective, where activities in the focal organisation are interpreted and concepts are developed that can help actors of the investigation, to understand their situation. For the investigation a case study is taken and the researcher has an active role in the case study. Conclusion The found data is summarised by using ideal types that characterise persons in the focal organisation. The ideal types used are: clients (members of the management and financiers), involved and individualists (both operating core). These three groups have different needs of information, communication and objectives. With help of these groups a classification of information distributed in the organisation is made, based on a division between: information based on destination (to whom the message is sent) and content (what is the content of the information sent). This division is used in order to find the most suitable media that could be used for transmitting this information and this is done with help of the information richness theory of Daft & Lengel (1990). By distributing information and by communicating with each other, one could also state that co-ordination is party stimulated with these results. Furthermore, the results found can be implemented in an information system that is adjusted to the requirem ents of the participants of the focal organisation. For this reason a primitive design of an information system is proposed that could support the aforementioned classification and that could support communication and information distribution in the focal organisation.

In organisational science, new organisational concepts such as business process re-engineering and virtual organisations are developed. These new types of organisation have more advanced and different requirements on their information technology (IT) support, since the relation between the organisation and its IT system is much tighter for these organisation types. We disucss potential problems of traditional IT approaches in these organisations. As an alternative, we propose a different perspective on the role of IT, i.e., we view the organisation as consisting of a physical and a virtual layer that both are active, equally important and contain models of each other. BPR, virtuella organisationer, Informationsteknologi

Purpose The “virtuality” of a team collaborative interaction is the extent to which it is accomplished in the same place, in fully distributed virtual teams, or in a hybrid combination of the two. However, existence, strength and process of potential association between virtuality and effectiveness in construction project teams have remained elusive. This paper aims to address this gap in the literature. Design/methodology/approach In this study, a conceptual model demonstrating the association between virtuality and effectiveness of teams was developed through integrating the input-process-output (IPO) model and the “Big Five” theory. This conceptual model was contextualised for the construction industry drawing upon conducting 17 semi-structured interviews with hybrid team experts. Findings The findings provide the first model mapping the associations between virtuality and dimensions of team effectiveness for the construction context. Practical implications The discovered patterns of associations between virtuality and dimensions of effectiveness for hybrid construction project teams (HCPTs) will assist managers in designing and running more effective teams. In addition, the findings help construction practitioners better understand how virtuality influence the performance and satisfaction of team members in HCPTs. The present study concludes with outlining a set of recommendations based on the findings of the study. Originality/value As the first study in its kind, the present study offers a new insight into the concept and impacts of virtuality for construction teams and provides instructions and guidelines for designing and maintaining the effectiveness of such teams on construction projects.