ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies the specific characteristics that differentiate global teams from the more common local variety, and applies the research to show how leaders can effectively overcome the barriers to realize opportunities. It focuses on the global teams in the context of connected global organizations. Teams need the right combination of skills and knowledge among members. This includes the right technical and process skills, as well as task-related, functional and geographical knowledge. Like organizations, team structures vary along three dimensions: distribution of power and responsibility, specialization of roles, and formalization of processes. The two main categories of mediators that shape team success are processes and emergent states. Emergent states are beliefs and attitudes that team members hold about the team itself. They evolve dynamically as the group works together, based on the effect of group experiences. Global teams do experience more conflict, and both cultural diversity and dispersion influence how global teams detect and address conflict.
