Virtual Team efficiency – Master Project Felix Gellert Presenter Felix Gellert Student of Media Direction at Darmstadt University Presentation about Master Project Virtual Team efficiency Which processes can be supported through the right media solution? Socio, a conceptual design of a platform for Virtual Teams Presentation agenda Introduction to the topic Demonstration of Socio Survey invitation Information

Virtual Team efficiency – Master Project Felix Gellert Information Earn 1 free PDU by: 1. Attendance to this seminar 2. Participating on the survey 3. The PDU-Code will be transmitted at the end of the survey 4. PDUs must be requested until 08/31/2011. Then the code is locked. Presentation takes 30 min Survey will take 30 min

Virtual Team efficiency – Master Project Felix Gellert Basic facts 1 Virtual teams face a complex work environment Geographical, temporal and organisational dispersion of team members Interaction (communication and collaboration) through technologically mediated channels Cultural (National, functional, organizational) differences No face-to-face contact Resulting problems Building and maintaining trust Identification with team Isolation of team members Lacks of commitment, motivation and responsibility Misunderstandings/Misinterpretations in communication Negative impacts on virtual team efficiency

Virtual Team efficiency – Master Project Felix Gellert Basic facts 2 Analysis Relevance of missing face-to-face interaction in virtual teams Survey about the challenges of working in virtual teams. The greatest (94%) personal challenges respondents faced were inability to read non ‐ verbal cues. Conducted by: RW3 CULTURE WIZARD, Intercultural training consultancy among 600 randomly selected employees of multinational corporations. Survey about negative impact of virtual team problems, regarding lack of social interaction. Building and maintaing trust - 75% Very significant impact Cultural differences - 50% Very significant impact Identification with the team - 50% significant impact Conducted by myself among 10 experts for virtual teams Literature review

Virtual Team efficiency – Master Project Felix Gellert Research 3 Research question What are options for virtual teams to compensate the missing face-to-face interaction? Existing Approach Socializing This process compensates for the missing face-to-face interaction such as coffee breaks during meetings or meeting in the kitchen where important communications take place. (Ralf Friedrich Virtual Team Maturity Model) Methods Personal Informations Personal curiosity Small talk competencies Cultural orientations Improved team performance InputsOutputs

Virtual Team efficiency – Master Project Felix Gellert Research 4 Exisiting Methods Social Media and Networks Social media and networks can include large public social media networks such as facebook, linkedIn, XING and others or company-specific who-is-who installations. Virtual Worlds Virtual worlds is defined as a simulated world where people communicate through avatars Collaborative games Collaborative games is defined as all the games the team members can play together in a virtual environment.

Virtual Team efficiency – Master Project Felix Gellert Approach 5 New Method Online platform exclusively for virtual teams A tool for virtual teams to perform Socializing Works with interactive sessions, based on sociometric processes Enables virtual teams to compensate the missing face-to-face interaction Enabling virtual team efficiency

Virtual Team efficiency – Master Project Felix Gellert Method 6 Method of Socio to support Socializing in virtual teams Sociometric processes Measuring social relations between team members Demonstration of similiarities and relations Interactive process Sessions Need to be completed by the whole team together Are recorded and stored on the platform – accessible only by team members Can be viewed at any time again Sessions inputs Personal information Interests Values Experiences Cultural orientations

Virtual Team efficiency – Master Project Felix Gellert Method 7 Interactive sociometric process „Who is like me?“ Team member asked a precise question to the team based on the inputs topics: Personal information Interests Values Experiences Cultural orientations Who likes cooking, like me?

Questioner Team member make a stantpoint to that question Near by means: I share this interest Far away means: I don‘t shate this interest Members near by can place a statement to the question Virtual Team efficiency – Master Project Felix Gellert Method 8 Interactive sociometric process Share interest Likely share interest Share interest Don‘t share interest

Virtual Team efficiency – Master Project Felix Gellert Method 9 Session result Social relations based on criteria of the question

Socio demonstration

Virtual team members No Socio account With Socio accountRegistering once Team leader Sends invitation

Virtual team IntroductionWorld map Sociometric processes Socio map Generate

Socio map Virtual Team members Acces Choose specific project View

Users in Socio are represented through Vcards Vcards Name of the user Video picture from webcam / profile picture (with no webcam) Status indicator Inactive Active

Interaction space Vcards from Users (1)Session state indicator (2) Navigation (3) Menue bar (4) (needs to pulled out)

Socio Session World map

Socio Session World map

Socio Session World map

Socio Session Who is like me

Socio Session Who is like me

Socio Session Who is like me

Socio map Interactive recording of the sessions

Virtual Team efficiency – Master Project Felix Gellert 1 Thank you Please answer the survey Survey link