Knowledge Development in Virtual Work Markus Haag Developing People Internationally Konstanz, Germany - 28 Sep 2007

28 Sep 2007Markus Haag - Developing People Internationally Konstanz Knowledge Development in Virtual Work Outline 1. Knowledge Development and Learning in Virtual Environments 2. Challenges of Virtual Communication and Collaboration 3. The Impact of Culture 4. Schwartz’ Individual-Level Values 5. Effective Knowledge Development and Learning 6. Managing Virtual Work

28 Sep 2007Markus Haag - Developing People Internationally Konstanz Knowledge Development in Virtual Work 1. Knowledge Development and Learning in Virtual Environments -- KD in e-learning environments encompasses processes and phases of creating new knowledge, evaluating and modifying knowledge, sharing knowledge, and finally applying knowledge in real-life situations and contexts -- KD involves several distinct yet interdependent phases of knowledge development, one of them being knowledge creation  Finding (better) solutions to problems -- Learning: often taking place in communities of practice: “A community of practice is a set of relations among persons, activity, and world, over time and in relation with other tangential and overlapping communities of practice.” (Lave and Wenger, 1991, p. 98)

28 Sep 2007Markus Haag - Developing People Internationally Konstanz Knowledge Development in Virtual Work 2. Challenges of Virtual Communication and Collaboration -- Who are you? Function, hierarchy, clear and mutually accepted role in the team? -- Trust: How to build it – and maintain it? Face-to-face meetings? -- Different skill levels in using software (CSCW, CSCL, even Internet)  Differing expectations  What are the rules of interaction and collaboration?

28 Sep 2007Markus Haag - Developing People Internationally Konstanz Knowledge Development in Virtual Work 3. The Impact of Culture Differing assumptions about how something should be done: power distance – formality/informality; role expectations -- High context/low context – directness and indirectness Virtual environments mostly use explicit, low-context, textual communication  What do high-context cultures make of this? -- Handling (or even accommodating?) differences: Should Chinese become more direct? Germans more indirect?

28 Sep 2007Markus Haag - Developing People Internationally Konstanz Knowledge Development in Virtual Work 3. The Impact of Culture Does a virtual environment have no culture? The culture(s) of its members? Or its own distinct culture? -- Group dynamics: ingroup vs outgroup – inculture vs outculture -- Suspicion and distrust -- Leadership issues: need of a moderator/facilitator/leader? -- Culture: national, organisational, professional, regional, generational

28 Sep 2007Markus Haag - Developing People Internationally Konstanz Knowledge Development in Virtual Work 3. The Impact of Culture -3- Trompenaars’ value dimensions -- Universalism-particularism: fixed set of rules – rules depending on context, rules can be suspended -- Individualism-communitarianism: asserting oneself – focus on group success -- Neutral-emotional: Are emotions shown online? If so, how? How are they dealt with online?  mediation in conflict -- Achievement-ascription: recognition due to personal success – recognition due to status -- Diffuse-specific: Where are the boundaries between private life and professional life? Is it expected to answer s on a Saturday?

28 Sep 2007Markus Haag - Developing People Internationally Konstanz Knowledge Development in Virtual Work 4. Schwartz’ Individual-Level Values Universalism: understanding, tolerance for others Benevolence: preservation and enhancement of welfare of close others Conformity: avoiding actions likely to upset others Tradition: respect for and acceptance of traditional customs Security: safety, harmony of society, others and self Power: social status, control or dominance over people Achievement:personal success through showing competence Hedonism: pleasure and sensuous gratification for oneself Stimulation: excitement, novelty, challenge Self-Direction: independent thought and action

28 Sep 2007Markus Haag - Developing People Internationally Konstanz Knowledge Development in Virtual Work 4. Schwartz Value Survey: Ten individual- level values Taken from: Burgess (2005) The importance and motivational content of money attitudes: South Africans with living standards similar to those in industrialised Western countries South African Journal of Psychology, 35(1), pp. 106–126.

28 Sep 2007Markus Haag - Developing People Internationally Konstanz Knowledge Development in Virtual Work 5. Effective Knowledge Development and Learning -1- Knowledge Development: -- Involve team members in discussing aims and objectives - trying to reach a consensus about them - then state them explicitly -- Bring the concept of culture and its impact on KD and learning into the open -- Discuss and (try to) agree on role expectations -- Focus on benefits of multi-cultural teams rather than on problems -- Discuss and (try to) agree on guidelines for communicating and collaborating in virtual environments

28 Sep 2007Markus Haag - Developing People Internationally Konstanz Knowledge Development in Virtual Work 5. Effective Knowledge Development and Learning -2- Learning: -- Use examples that are relevant for all members, give more than one example if necessary -- Learning has to take place in a meaningful context/learning is situated -- Beware of best practices – they may be bad practice in another culture  Reconciliation and accommodation of differences

28 Sep 2007Markus Haag - Developing People Internationally Konstanz Knowledge Development in Virtual Work 6. Managing Virtual Work It has to be managed! -- What and how? Aims and objectives, rules and guidelines, role expectations -- Moderate, facilitate and guide – don’t prescribe!  Knowledge created and developed must be managed and made available to people in other situations and contexts; knowledge has to be applied

28 Sep 2007Markus Haag - Developing People Internationally Konstanz Knowledge Development in Virtual Work 6. Managing Virtual Work % people, 10% technology -- Emphasise the positive potential of diversity (cultural, gender, age, expertise, etc.) -- Four-part model of NetAge: Purpose: goals, tasks, results People: members, leaders, levels Time: calendar, process, phases Links: media, interactions, relationships

28 Sep 2007Markus Haag - Developing People Internationally Konstanz Knowledge Development in Virtual Work Thank you very much. Contact: