Boston University Global Virtual Team Management Individual Reflection Papers 1- global virtual team management assignment: Carefully read the correspondin

Boston University Global Virtual Team Management Individual Reflection Papers 1- global virtual team management assignment: Carefully read the corresponding two assigned readings (Goodbody; Goodman & Bray) posted on Brightspace. After you complete these two readings, put together a brief 2-3 page individual reflection paper (i.e., double-spaced MLA) based on your personal observations and insights gained from the assigned readings—this could include your personal agreement, disagreement, additional ideas or suggestions, etc.

2- you will prepare and upload two additional brief individual reflection papers (2-3+ pages, double-spaced, MLA)) based on two podcast lectures

Additional Reflection Paper 1: Based on podcast “International Career Development Strategies” and your results on the four free online self-assessments take the three self-assessments under “What’s Your International I.Q.?” and also take the Big 5 Personality self-assessment); the link of this podcast is: https://lmu.box.com/s/of0q2njoq9q3wgasyhxxv3a2zdlxnukh / – And the quizzes link are: A. Take 3 self-assessments under “What’s Your International IQ?” at this link: http://myworldabroad.com/quizzes/ B. Take Big 5 Personality Self-Assessment at this link: http://personality-testing.info/tests/BIG5.php
Additional Reflection Paper 2: Based on podcast “Expatriate Experience Success” and the assigned readings on Expatriate Adjustment Success and Reverse Culture Shock. the link of the podcast is: https://lmu.box.com/s/hfpeep6rwq27t1jmldkoe4ko4qr6oh7n

You can find each of the two podcasts above by clicking on Below each podcast is the corresponding originally intended PPT file for class discussion, which you might find helpful in using for taking notes during the podcast. These reflection papers represent your own personal reaction to/reflection upon the recorded podcast and the indicated associated materials (i.e., self-assessments or assigned readings)—any insights or thoughts that strike you as significant. Your writing also should give clear evidence that you indeed covered/understood the podcasts and associated materials.

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best practices
Preparing Global Virtual
Teams for Success
With proper training, connection, and creativity, true collaboration can be
accomplished in global virtual teams. #:/&”-(00%.”/ 1)% “/%464″/.#3”:
I
/FBM(PPENBO 1I%
is president of Global
Dynamics, Inc., a
training and development
firm specializing in
globalization, cultural
intelligence, effective
virtual workplaces, and
diversity and inclusion.
4VTBO.#SBZis a
senior associate of
Global Dynamics, Inc.
She has led training and
coaching programs on
global virtual teams in
university and corporate
environments. She
currently serves on the
Board of the International
Association of Continuing
Engineering Education.
Goodman and Bray
can be reached at
QSPHSBNT!HMPCBM
EZOBNJDTDPNFor more
information, visit XXX
HMPCBMEZOBNJDTDPN
64
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n the late 1980s, one of the authors of this
article was director of the distance learning
program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
(RPI) in Troy, NY. This was before the term,
“online learning,” had even been used, and RPI’s
graduate programs were shared with the industry via TV-like production facilities and satellite
broadcast. A faculty member who taught in this
program wanted to use a new and exotic piece
of hardware in the classroom that took some
time to figure out and integrate. That device? A
“mouse”!
One cannot overestimate the impact that
technological advances, the emergence of the Internet, and the realities of a global economy have
had on learning and working over a few short
decades. In fact, we refer to this profound and
pervasive change as a “new sociology of work.”
Today’s workers find themselves in global enterprises and on teams that are cross-cultural in
nature and interact in virtual, technology-driven
environments. It seems appropriate to ask if we
are adequately preparing both leaders and team
members with the knowledge and skills required
to succeed in this environment.
The cost of not asking this question is great.
Failed mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures
due to cultural misunderstanding result in the
loss of billions of dollars. Cross-cultural communication breakdowns, fueled by the lack of
context and connection that can characterize
virtual communication approaches, contribute
to breakdown of trust and failed projects. And
yet research indicates that fewer than 16 percent
of employees in multinational organizations who
work virtually have had any specific preparation or
training for this work.
The good news is that a body of knowledge
for successfully leading and performing effectively on global virtual teams is emerging. We
are beginning to identify the best practices of
high-performing global virtual teams and the
attributes of those who can lead them successfully across the demanding virtual, cross-cultural
SEPTEMBER/O CTOBER 2014 training
terrain they navigate. We also know that the payoffs can be great. Those who can harness the
inherent creativity of varying cultural perspectives
have the opportunity to lead through innovation.
One champion of this notion is Unilever Senior
Vice President of Human Resources and Communications Fiona Laird. “Organizations that
remove the artificial boundaries around how,
where, and when work gets done are those that
are winning in today’s marketplace,” Laird says.
“They are more flexible, more efficient, and better able to respond to rapid change.”
TOP SUCCESS FACTORS
A recently developed training program, “Leading Global Virtual Teams,” has identified what
we consider to be the “top success factors for
global virtual teams.” These success factors
draw on a meta-analysis review of the literature
and the examination of hundreds of cases with
global virtual teams in corporate environments.
The program is based on a model that considers
those factors that relate to the fact that the work
is carried out virtually; those factors that relate to
the fact that the work often is carried out across
cultural differences; and the fact that these two
phenomena interact in interesting ways. The
model further depicts the critical role of trust
and leadership in tying all of this together for
productive team outcomes. Emerging from this
model are some practical and useful tips for team
leaders and members.
Here are two examples of these tips:
t&NQIBTJ[FTUSPOHUFBNTUBSUVQXJUIUIFHPBM
PGBMJHONFOUBOECVJMEJOHPGSFMBUJPOTIJQT We all
know first impressions matter, but this is especially critical in the case of global virtual teams.
So a critical role of the team leader is to ensure a
robust team beginning where the seeds of connection, purpose, and mutual accountability
are sown. Leaders consider the kinds of activities that must be undertaken in the preparation
and launch stages to gain the commitment of
www.trainingmag.com
far-flung team members. The goal is to consciously
build a form of “swift trust” that will sustain the
team through challenging times ahead. In this context, we consider the critical role of a Team Charter,
which answers the question:
Why does this team exist?
Likewise, a Team Operating Agreement is critical
and must answer the question:
How will this team go about conducting its work?
t4USFTTNJOEGVMVTFPGDPMMBCPSBUJPOUFDIOPMPHJFT
Mindfulness is a term that has its roots in Zen Buddhist meditation but has entered the American
mainstream in recent years. It relates to bringing
one’s complete attention to the present experience
or the present moment. We find it a useful concept for cross-cultural and virtual work. It is the
opposite of the “knee-jerk” response in which we
act instinctively without considering the context
of the moment. Those who navigate successfully
across cultures are mindful of their own cultural approaches and how they might affect others.
In applying this concept to the use of collaboration technologies, we are calling upon people to
consciously create and construct the cyberspace
environment of their team to support the required
communication tasks. In brick-and-mortar places,
we often take care to design the space to support
and enhance work. “Cyberspace” is the equivalent
for global virtual teams, and yet we often just grab
the technologies at hand without careful thought
to the nature of the space we are creating.
The tips noted above are just a few examples of
the many concrete and practical things that can be
taught to improve the effectiveness of global virtual teams. It is critical that team leaders devote
the necessary time for teambuilding and training
throughout the life of their teams. The ties that
bind virtual teams together can be fragile across
time, distance, and culture. But we are firm believers that virtual environments can be humanized,
and that connection, creativity, and true collaboration can be accomplished in global virtual teams.
If you have any best practices for training global
virtual teams, questions, or case studies to share,
send them to OHPPENBO!HMPCBMEZOBNJDTDPN for
inclusion in future articles that address this import
tant topic. Q
Training magazine’s eNewsletter…
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Training magazine combined its eNewsletters—
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one streamlined, easy-to-read eNewsletter that is
e-mailed every Wednesday.
Each issue includes:
▪ A Training Top 125 Best Practice
▪ Links to the Training Day blog and the latest
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SHRM Foundation Executive Summary
Preliminary Report
June 2011
Crossing Cultures:
Unpacking the Expatriate Learning and Adjustment Process
PI: Dr. Connie Wanberg
Co-PI: Dr. Jing Zhu
Co-PI: Dr. David Harrison
Co-PI: Erica Diehn
Crossing Cultures: Unpacking the Expatriate Learning and Adjustment Process
SHRM FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY REPORT
2011
Executive Summary
Embarking on an international job assignment is an exciting, yet challenging venture that impacts both the
expatriate’s learning and adjustment as well as their ongoing career development aspirations. This
groundbreaking study is the first, to the authors’ knowledge, to address the dynamic nature of expatriate
learning and adjustment across time while encompassing the perceptions of impact on career development.
Not only will this research contribute to the academic literature, there are also significant implications for
management practice.
It is important to learn more about the expatriate adjustment process
across time and the characteristics of expatriates who display higher
adjustment over the duration of their experience. As more companies
continue to send employees on international assignments, HR
practitioners need to understand the adjustment process of
expatriates to minimize challenges and turnover. At the same time, HR
practitioners need to maximize expatriate performance, personal
learning, and help craft beneficial career development experiences.
Our research provides compelling insight into the learning and
adjustment process of expatriates and their future career development
expectations.
The following report shares our preliminary findings for this study.
Study Highlights:
Study Methods
171 expatriates from three
multi-national
organizations
from diverse industries were
surveyed ten times (about once
per month) over the span of
their first nine months on an
international assignment. The
majority of participants were
male (72%) and brought their
spouse on assignment with
them (75%). Work assignments
spanned 38 host countries
around the world.

Overall, there was an increase in expatriate adjustment over the
first nine months of their placement overseas, rising with
decreasing speed across the first nine months.
 Expatriates with longer tenure in the organization reported lower adjustment after month two.

Personal learning also increases over time with a decreasing speed.
 Expatriates with a high level of psychological well being prior to host country departure
increased personal learning at a much higher speed until month six when it began to decrease.
 Expatriates with a low level of psychological well being increased steadily over time but at a
lower speed.

Expatriates with more self-training hours prior to departure reported higher levels of both general
adjustment and social interaction adjustment with host-nationals on a day-to-day basis.
 General adjustment increased at a much higher speed over time for expatriates who invested
more hours of self training prior to host country departure.

Expatriates viewed their international assignments as less developmental for their career over the
course of the nine months of data collection.
2|Page
Crossing Cultures: Unpacking the Expatriate Learning and Adjustment Process
SHRM FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY REPORT
2011
Review of Key Findings and Implications for Practice
Overall Adjustment
One of the primary research questions for this study relates to the expatriate adjustment process across time
and the characteristics of expatriates who display higher adjustment over the duration of their experience.
First we will highlight the overall levels of adjustment across the duration of the first nine months of
experience, and then we will move to more specific adjustment findings as they relate to adjustment curves
over time, measured from month to month over the span of the first nine months on an international
assignment.
Regarding the overall levels of adjustment across the duration of the first nine months of experience, we find
that both work and general adjustment were positively predicted by baseline psychological wellbeing and
cultural training satisfaction. As expected, cultural novelty (the extent to which the culture in which the
expatriate is working is novel and different from their home culture) negatively predicted the overall level of
adjustment across the first nine months of the expatriate experience.
We also were looking at interaction adjustment, which includes socializing with host nationals and interacting
with host nationals on a day-to-day basis, as this is a measure of successful adjustment. We found that
expatriates’ psychological wellbeing, language fluency, and self training hours prior to their international
departure positively predicted their overall level of interaction adjustment across the first nine months of their
experience. This is a significant finding with impact for HR practitioners, emphasizing the importance of
language training and a personal, individual investment in preparing and training for the assignment abroad
prior to actual departure. While many organizations have formal training or pre-departure onboarding
sessions, it should be noted that language fluency is critical to hit the ground running and those individuals
who make time to both learn the language and details about the culture they are heading into will find a
greater return for this personal investment. Furthermore, individuals with higher levels of psychological
wellbeing (In the past 30 days, “I felt calm and peaceful”; “I have been a happy person,” etc.) are more likely to
have higher interaction adjustment upon entering their host country. HR practitioners might consider using
some psychological screening to determine psychological wellbeing, readiness, and openness to an
international experience.
When analyzing results from the first month on the international assignment, we find similar results to that of
overall adjustment across all months of the study. Both general and work adjustment at the start of the
international assignment is predicted by baseline psychological wellbeing and cultural training satisfaction.
Likewise, cultural novelty again negatively predicted work adjustment at the start of the international
experience. Language fluency and self training hours positively predicted interaction adjustment both at the
start and across the duration of the first nine months of the experience.
To highlight the impact of training satisfaction, we will put it into a return on investment context. When an
organization provides intercultural training for the expatriate prior to departure either internally or through an
external firm, every one unit increase in the expatriate’s satisfaction with this intercultural training is
associated with an average of .36 units increase in their initial level of work adjustment at the start of the
international assignment. Higher expatriate training satisfaction with the intercultural training is related to
3|Page
Crossing Cultures: Unpacking the Expatriate Learning and Adjustment Process
SHRM FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY REPORT
2011
higher levels of work adjustment within their first 30 days on their international assignment and throughout
the first nine months.
Adjustment Unfolding Over Time
On average across the sample, there was an increase in all three adjustment dimensions over time with a
decreasing speed in the first nine months. The curve looks like two-thirds of an inverted U for work adjustment
and the first half of an inverted U for general and interaction (social) adjustment. The peak (i.e. turning point)
of the curve occurred around Month 7 for work adjustment and Month 9 for both general and interaction
adjustment. [Figures 1a, 1b, 1c] Please note that these are preliminary findings; we request that these figures
not be published in any SHRM public reports. We will send our academic manuscript with final results,
including more extensive figures and detailed results upon completion.
Work Adjustment
Figure 1a
General Adjustment
Figure 1b
Interaction Adjustment
Figure 1c
When further analyzing work adjustment, we find that tenure with the home organization moderated the
change curve of work adjustment. Expatriates with longer tenure adjusted slightly better to their work than
those with a shorter tenure, but only in the first two months of the assignment. After Month 2, long-tenure
expats adjusted at significantly lower levels than the shorter-tenure expats.
Self training hours prior to departure had an impact on general adjustment among our expatriate sample in
the first thirty days. The overall general adjustment level was also higher for expatriates with more self
training hours across the nine months of our study. Looking at the curve of general adjustment, we find that
general adjustment increased at a much higher speed over time for the expatriates who had more hours of self
training before departure than those who had fewer hours of self training.
Personal Learning & Career Development
Since current research shows very little insight into the expatriate experience as a means of learning, career
growth and development, our study sought to address this area. When and how do expatriates view their
experiences as developmental, and what are the predictors of higher levels of career development? A critical
element to this topic is personal learning. We will start by addressing personal learning, followed by
implications for career development expectations and implementation.
4|Page
Crossing Cultures: Unpacking the Expatriate Learning and Adjustment Process
SHRM FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY REPORT
2011
Our results for personal learning mirror the significant predictors for adjustment. Once again, baseline
psychological wellbeing and cultural training satisfaction positively predict personal learning while cultural
novelty negatively predicts overall level of personal learning across the duration of the study. Additionally,
personal learning is independently and positively associated with adjustment on all three dimensions: general,
work, and interaction (social) adjustment. General adjustment is impacted the most by personal learning.
Looking at personal learning across time, the first nine months on assignment abroad, we find that on average
across the sample, there was an increase in learning over time with a decreasing speed [Figure 2]. The curve
looked again like a first half of an inverted U, with the peak being around Month 9. However, when we
account for the fact that the baseline psychological wellbeing predicted the change to the adjustment curve of
personal learning, we see some interesting results. Expatriates who had a high baseline level of psychological
wellbeing before departure showed an inverted U-shape curve over time in their personal learning; this means
that they had a much faster increase in their personal learning over the first six months, but then start to
decrease in their personal learning afte…
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