The contexts of knowing: natural history of a globally distributed team

Abstract

SummaryThe focus of this paper is cognitive convergence in a globally distributed team (GDT), defined as the process by which cognitive structures of distributed team members gradually become more similar over time. To explore the convergence process, we employed a longitudinal, ethnographic research strategy that allowed us to follow a naturally occurring GDT over a 14-month period, producing a rich case study portraying factors and processes that influence convergence. Confirming previous studies, we find that increases in shared cognition alone are not sufficient to account for performance gains on a GDT. Rather, it may be necessary not only to increase the sharing of cognition, but also to reverse a pattern of increasing divergence that can result from rejection of key knowledge domains. We also found that several factors influence the process of cognitive convergence beyond direct knowledge sharing. These include: separate but parallel or similar learning experiences in a common context; the surfacing of hidden knowledge at remote sites by third-party mediators or knowledge brokers; and shifts in agent self-interest that motivate collaboration and trigger the negotiation of task interdependence. Also relevant to cognitive convergence on a GDT is the geographical distribution pattern of people and resources on the ground, and the different ways in which leaders exploit the historical, cultural and linguistic dimensions of such distribution to further their own political agendas. Several propositions related to these observations are suggested. We conclude that GDTs can be effective in bringing together divergent points of view to yield new organizational capabilities, but such benefits require that leaders and members recognize early and explicitly the existence and validity of their differences.

Scientific Mindfulness: A Foundation for Future Themes in International Business.

“…In other cultures and contexts, different forms of validation are accepted (such as personal experience). What is perhaps universal, however, is that what is considered to be ''truth'' must be determined within a particular context (Baba, Gluesing, Ratner, & Wagner, 2004;see also De Maria, 2008;Johns, 2006) -in our case, an international and cross-cultural context. Chris Bangle, the controversial former head of design for the BMW Group (1992-2009), was asked, ''Is there a right and wrong in design?''…”

Extending Construal Level Theory to Distributed Teams: Perception and Evaluation of Distant Others

“…As an example, the French members of the team were able to see the American director as more than a task-oriented drone. Indeed they were able to warmly joke with her about her passion for food (Baba, Gluesing, Ratner & Wagner 2004). Because both experimental and qualitative studies of perception at a distance suggest that distant others will be seen as more one-dimensional, we predict that: The propensity for global perceptions at a distance also affects views of between-person differences.…”

Creative Process within Globally Distributed Teams: Brazil, Sweden, France and India

“…Oertig & Buergi (2006) stress the importance of constant dedication to idiom and intercultural communication training: even when sharing the same spoken idiom, the interpretation of signifiers in the implied sense of the words might be understood in quite different forms (Baba et al 2004). Members with different cultural backgrounds reveal divergent preferences for social interaction norms, which can create difficulties in executing processes related to task integration (Maznevsky & Chudoba, 2000).…”