Virtual Teams and International Business Teaching and Learning: The Case of the Global Enterprise Experience (GEE)

Abstract

The increasing importance of global virtual teams in business is reflected in the classroom by the increased adoption of activities that facilitate real-time cross-cultural interaction. This article documents the experience of students from two Colombian universities who participated in a collaborative international project using virtual teams as part of the international business (IB) curriculum. The data reveals that in spite of challenges associated with time zone differences, technology limitations, and trust issues, the vast majority of students perceived that the use of virtual teams as a teaching tool facilitates cultural understanding and IB-relevant learning. The findings of this research suggest that online experiential exercises can be an effective approach in teaching and in the development of virtual collaboration skills.

Keywords:

• Virtual teams
• International business
• Teamwork
• Trust
• Global Enterprise Experience
• Colombia

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank the recommendations from Dr. Eoin Higgins at the National University of Ireland—Galway, Dr. Shirley Daniel at the University of Hawaii, members of the Pacific Asian Consortium for International Business Education and Research (PACIBER), and three anonymous reviewers from the Journal of Teaching in International Business.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Maria Alejandra Gonzalez-Perez

Maria Alejandra Gonzalez-Perez is Full Professor of Management, and past Head of the Department of International Business (2009–2013) and former Director of the International Studies Research Group (2008–2013) at Universidad EAFIT, Medellín, Colombia. She holds a PhD in globalization and Corporate Social Responsibility (International Business), and a Master’s degree in Business Studies in Industrial Relations and Human Resources Management from the National University of Ireland—Galway.

Andres Velez-Calle

Andres Velez-Calle is Assistant Professor of International Business at Universidad EAFIT and former coordinator of the academic area in Interculturalism and Conflict Management. He received a MBA from the Berlin School of Economics and Law in Germany, and he is currently studying for a PhD in Management in International Business at Rutgers University in the United States.

Virginia Cathro

Virginia Cathro is a Lecturer at the Department of Management at the University of Otago in New Zealand. She teaches in the area of business communication, management functions, and international management. Her research interests are in mediation, conflict resolution, intercultural communication and negotiation, and the management of sporting bodies.

Dan V. Caprar

Dan V. Caprar is Senior Lecturer at the Australian School of Business, University of New South Wales. He received his MBA and a PhD from the University of Iowa in the United States, and Australia is the fourth country he has lived and worked in, after Romania, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Dan’s research focus is on the interaction between business and its sociocultural context, with particular interest in the impact of foreign business on local cultures.

Vasyl Taras

Vasyl Taras received his PhD in International Human Resource Management and Organizational Dynamics from the University of Calgary, Canada and his Master’s in Political Economy from the University of Texas at Dallas. He teaches International Business at the Bryan School of Business and Economics at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is the X-Culture Project Coordinator (www.X-Culture.org). Vasyl conducts research in the area of management and development of cross-cultural teams.