Team Size and Technology Fit: Participation, Awareness,and Rapport in Distributed Teams

Abstract

Abstract-In this paper we investigate the effects that team size has on geographically distributed team behavior and technology choice. We report results from a survey of distributed team members conducted within a large, multi-national technology manufacturing organization. Responses indicate that members of smaller teams participated more actively on their team, were more committed to their team, were more aware of the goals of the team, had greater awareness of other team members, and were in teams with higher levels of rapport. Larger teams are more conscientious than smaller teams in preparing meeting agendas. Team size was also associated with different technology choice: larger teams adopted technology to support the coordination of asynchronous work, while smaller teams adopted technology that primarily supported collaboration. We discuss the implications of distributed team size for team performance and technology adoption.

Relation Between the Complexity of Individuals' Expression and Groups Dynamic in Online Discussion Forums

“…non-mediated) in decentralized companies confirms those observations made in mediated groups. For example, on examining the influence of the participation of employees depending on the size of project teams, Bradner et al observed that participation is higher in small groups compared to large ones [11]. The group coherence that is obtained by a strong initial and consensual motivation, by the definition of clear shared goals or by a mediator who drives the group, contribute to facilitating the process of individual decision, which feeds back on collective relation and maintains the involvement of the group members (see also section 4.2).…”

“…Various authors have studied this issue and have given apparently contradictory answers. Some studies in the context of collaborative work report that an increase of group size tends to reduce individual participation [11,22,23]. In a more detailed way, Avouris et al remark that larger groups produce better results and generate greater activity, but that this activity is less homogeneously distributed between different members of the group [24].…”

Team Climate and Media Choice in Virtual Teams

“…In order for teams to be effective, many researchers recommend that they initially meet face to face (e.g., Hertel et al, 2005;Powell et al, 2004). However, a recent study of open-source software development teams found that even when virtual communication media predominated early project phases, the teams were still effective (Bradner et al, 2005).…”

“…The negative impacts occur when interpersonal interactions facilitated by rich media distract team members (Yoo and Alavi, 2001). Further, rich media can reduce task participation, while lean media may direct the members' attention to solving the task (Phillips and Santoro, 1989 (Bradner et al, 2005). Additionally, smaller teams are more likely than larger teams to choose media supporting synchronous communication (Bradner et al, 2005).…”

The Development Process Towards Achieving a Framework for Incorporating Virtual Teams into Projects in Engineering Courses

“…co-located members' collaboration at this site should become stronger because they perceive themselves to be the primary link that holds all subgroups together 3 .…”