Understanding technology use in global virtual teams: research methodologies and methods

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aut.researcherClear, Anthony George
dc.contributor.authorClear, Tony
dc.contributor.authorMacDonell, SG
dc.date.accessioned2011-06-09T04:15:31Z
dc.date.accessioned2012-03-10T09:13:16Z
dc.date.available2011-06-09T04:15:31Z
dc.date.available2012-03-10T09:13:16Z
dc.date.copyright2011-09
dc.date.issued2011-09
dc.description.abstractContext: The globalisation of activities associated with software development and use has introduced many challenges in practice, and also (therefore) many for research. While the predominant approach to research in software engineering has followed a positivist science model, this approach may be suboptimal when addressing problems with a dominant social or cultural dimension, such as those frequently encountered when studying work practices in a globally distributed team setting. The investigation of such a team reported in this paper provides one example of an alternative approach to research in a global context, through a longitudinal interpretive field study seeking to understand how global virtual teams mediated the use of technology. The study involved a large collective of faculty and support staff plus student members based in the geographically and temporally distant locations of New Zealand, the United States of America and Sweden. Objective: Our focus in this paper is on the conduct of research in the context of global software activities, and in particular, as applied to the actions and interactions of global virtual teams. We consider the appropriateness of various methodologies and methods in enabling such issues to be addressed. Method: We describe how we undertook a substantial field study of global virtual teams, and highlight how the adopted structuration theory, action research and grounded theory methodologies applied to the analysis of email data, enabled us to deliver effectively against our goals. Results: We believe that the approach taken suited a research context in which situated practices were occurring over time in a highly complex domain, ensuring that our results were both strongly grounded and relevant to practice. It has resulted in the generation of substantive theory and techniques that have been adapted and applied on a pilot basis in further field settings. Conclusion: We conclude that globally distributed teamwork presents a complex context which demands new research approaches, beyond the limited set customarily applied by software engineering researchers. We advocate experimenting with different research methodologies and methods so that we have a more rounded repertoire to address the most important and relevant issues in global software development research, with the forms of rigour that suit the chosen approach.
dc.identifier.citationInformation and Software Technology 53 (2011) 994–1011
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.infsof.2011.01.011
dc.identifier.issn0950-5849
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10292/3466
dc.publisherAUT University
dc.relation.replaceshttp://hdl.handle.net/10292/1272
dc.relation.replaces10292/1272
dc.relation.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2011.01.011
dc.rightsCopyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in (see Citation). Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. The definitive version was published in (see Citation). The original publication is available at (see Publisher's Version)
dc.rights.accessrightsOpenAccess
dc.subjectGlobal software development
dc.subjectGlobal virtual teams
dc.subjectResearch methodology
dc.subjectResearch method
dc.subjectInterpretive field studies
dc.subjectTechnology-use mediation
dc.subjectInformation Systems
dc.subjectEmpirical research
dc.subjectSpecial issue
dc.subjectSoftware
dc.titleUnderstanding technology use in global virtual teams: research methodologies and methods
dc.typeJournal Article
pubs.organisational-data/AUT
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/Design & Creative Technologies
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/Design & Creative Technologies/School of Computing & Mathematical Science
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/PBRF Researchers
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/PBRF Researchers/Design & Creative Technologies PBRF Researchers
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/PBRF Researchers/Design & Creative Technologies PBRF Researchers/DCT C & M Computing
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/PBRF Researchers/Design & Creative Technologies PBRF Researchers/DCT C & M Management & Allied
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