Understanding Decision-Making within Distributed Project Teams

Understanding Decision-Making within Distributed Project Teams

by Mario Bourgault, Nathalie Drouin, Jaouad Daoudi, Emilie Hamel
Released August 2009
Publisher(s): Project Management Institute
ISBN: None

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Book description

The proliferation of geographically dispersed teams is, of course, related to the explosive development of information and communication technologies (ICT), and particularly technologies related to the Internet. Now that these technologies are performing better and becoming more accessible, companies no longer seem to be challenged by the barrier of distance. Working with dispersed teams remains a challenge for many organizations. Many empirical studies reveal that some of the barriers are related to both the execution of tasks and the relationships among individuals. There is, therefore, a need to better understand how to adapt project teams’ current practices to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their work.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. Table of Contents
  6. List of Tables
  7. List of Figures
  8. Introduction
  9. Chapter 1: Overview of the Recent Literature on Distributed Teams
    1. 1.1. Introduction
    2. 1.2. The Distributed Project Team: An Expression of Increasingly Close Collaboration between Enterprises
    3. 1.3. Managing a Distributed Project Team: Some Key Dimensions
      1. 1.3.1. Team Inputs
      2. 1.3.2. Team Processes
      3. 1.3.3. Team Outcomes
    4. 1.4. Technology: A Key Vehicle for Collaboration
    5. 1.5. Conclusion
  10. Chapter 2: Overview of the Literature on Decision Making
    1. 2.1. Introduction
    2. 2.2. Overview of the Literature on Decisions and Decision Making
      1. 2.2.1. Basic Decision Making Concepts
      2. 2.2.2. Views on Organizational Decision Making
    3. 2.3. Specific Decision Making Process Issues
      1. 2.3.1. Decision Making in Work Groups
      2. 2.3.2. Antecedents of Decision-Making Quality
    4. 2.4. The Decision-Making Process and Distributed Teams
    5. 2.5. Conclusion
  11. Chapter 3: Conceptual Framework
    1. 3.1. Introduction
    2. 3.2. Conceptual Framework
      1. 3.2.1. Characteristics of the Context
      2. 3.2.2. Locus of Decisions
      3. 3.2.3. Characteristics of the Decision-Making Process
      4. 3.2.4. Degree of Team Distributedness
    3. 3.3. Conclusion
  12. Chapter 4: How Distributed Teams Adapt to Decision Making in Practice: Empirical Evidence
    1. 4.1. Introduction
    2. 4.2. Methodology
      1. 4.2.1. The Questionnaire
      2. 4.2.2. Selection of Respondents
      3. 4.2.3. Sample Presentation and Statistical Considerations
      4. 4.2.4. Determination of the Distributedness Index
    3. 4.3. Results
      1. 4.3.1. Roles and their Influence on Decisions
      2. 4.3.2. Quality of the Decision-Making Process within the Project Team
      3. 4.3.3. Impact of Autonomy and Formalization on Successful Teamwork
    4. 4.4. Conclusion
  13. Concluding Remarks
  14. List of References
  15. Appendix A: Identification of Contextual Factors Principal Component Analyses
  16. Appendix B: Paper Published in PMI's Virtual Library January 2008
  17. Appendix C: Article Published in Project Management Journal August 2008

Product information

  • Title: Understanding Decision-Making within Distributed Project Teams
  • Author(s): Mario Bourgault, Nathalie Drouin, Jaouad Daoudi, Emilie Hamel
  • Release date: August 2009
  • Publisher(s): Project Management Institute
  • ISBN: None