Perceptions of success in virtual cross-disciplinary design teams in large multinational corporations

Abstract

The nature of design problems facing industry today often requires the use of cross-disciplinary teams in order to maximise innovation. Three case studies were used to answer the research question: What factors contribute to the success of virtual cross-disciplinary design teams in large multinational engineering corporations? Results indicate that factors that contribute to success include the context in which teams work, the method by which teams do their work, and the media by which teams communicate. In addition, this study also found that technology facilitates, but does not take the place of, well-defined and shared processes.

Keywords:

• Virtual collaboration
• technology
• mediated communication
• comparative case study