Moderating Effect of Team Distributedness on Organizational Dimensions for Innovation Project Success

About Distributed Teams

Profound changes in international politics, combined with market globalization and the unprecedented development of information and communication technologies (ICTs), have fostered global competition and spurred companies to rethink their managerial practices (Arnison & Miller, 2002; Lipnack & Stamps, 1997). Similarly, due to the trend toward specialization, competencies and skills focus, there is an ongoing need for inter-organizational cooperation (Wehmeyer & Riemer, 2007). This need is manifested in the rise of dynamic company networks designed to overcome strategic challenges such as intense global competition and investment barriers (Cleland & Ireland, 2007; Pinto, 2002); operational challenges such as response time, risk management, and vertical and/or horizontal integration (Pinto, 2002; Wehmeyer & Riemer, 2007); and financial challenges (Kokko et al., 2007). Economic organizations and government institutions’ networks enable – if they do not require – the establishment of teams whose members are not necessarily located at a single site, known as distributed teams. For instance, a study conducted with 376 managers from different industrial branches in Germany revealed that 20% of full-time and almost 40% of temporary managers worked in distributed mode (AFW, 2002). Comparable numbers have been reported in other countries as well (Gibson & Cohen, 2003; Hertel et al., 2005).