UPCOMING RESEARCH AGENDA
Below is the summary of my upcoming research agenda as submitted to NWO.
For the NWO Committee- Please see the references used in the rebuttal here.
Recent News (May 3, 2013):
The ideas behind this grant proposal have recently been ACCEPTED to be presented at the America's conference in information systems in August:
Eseryel, U. Y. (2013) Structuring for innovation: How virtual teams can adopt open source practices, Americas Conference for Information Systems (AMCIS), Chicago, USA
The minitrack chair commented: "I agree with Reviewer 2 that your premise that self-leading virtual teams would do well to mimic open source software teams is very interesting. The topic is timely and I applaud your proposed use of archival data. Despite the abundance of archival data online, management information systems researchers have struggled to take advantage of this valuable resource."
For the NWO Committee- Please see the references used in the rebuttal here.
Recent News (May 3, 2013):
The ideas behind this grant proposal have recently been ACCEPTED to be presented at the America's conference in information systems in August:
Eseryel, U. Y. (2013) Structuring for innovation: How virtual teams can adopt open source practices, Americas Conference for Information Systems (AMCIS), Chicago, USA
The minitrack chair commented: "I agree with Reviewer 2 that your premise that self-leading virtual teams would do well to mimic open source software teams is very interesting. The topic is timely and I applaud your proposed use of archival data. Despite the abundance of archival data online, management information systems researchers have struggled to take advantage of this valuable resource."
Abstract
With steep global competition, solving complex business and societal problems require international teams, such as self-leading global teams (SLGTs). SLGTs are globally distributed teams of experts, who collaborate through technologies without managers. SLGT use is increasing for business, economic development, anti-poverty, public health, education, and environment initiatives. Yet, organizations fail at forming successful SLGTs. Extant research provides no solutions despite indicating that SLGTs face higher challenges than typical innovation teams.
Unlike traditional organizations, Open Source Software teams (OSS) overcome challenges faced by SLGTs. The European Commission, the Dutch WRR and the U.S. National Science Foundation identify OSS as a benchmark for innovative practices. Thus, my dissertation, which received two international “outstanding dissertation awards”, identified innovative OSS leadership practices. Yet, recent research shows that for organizations to successfully apply SLGT practices of OSS, they should first understand and adapt OSS structures (technologies, processes and norms).
This knowledge gap will be addressed by unearthing how OSS structures differ from organizational SLGTs. Multiple comparative longitudinal case studies of cutting-edge OSS teams versus organizational SLGTs will be conducted to (1) enable emulation of innovative OSS leadership structures, and (2) theorize about SLGT enablement.
Unlike previous OSS research, I enable innovative practice transfer using a practice-based approach. This approach identifies how structures and leadership recursively evolve in practice, providing a realistic view of how they can be emulated. I innovate methodologically by combining team perception data with actual behavior data, to objectively analyze the structure-leadership interaction.
This research will lead to a breakthrough by enabling cutting-edge SLGTs, and transfer of innovative OSS practices. I disseminate knowledge through a knowledge portal, workshops, edited-books, journal articles, and conference presentations. By enabling organizations form successful SLGTs, this study promises societal impacts such as higher innovation, employee satisfaction, and productivity, leading to increased global competitiveness and economic prosperity.
Unlike traditional organizations, Open Source Software teams (OSS) overcome challenges faced by SLGTs. The European Commission, the Dutch WRR and the U.S. National Science Foundation identify OSS as a benchmark for innovative practices. Thus, my dissertation, which received two international “outstanding dissertation awards”, identified innovative OSS leadership practices. Yet, recent research shows that for organizations to successfully apply SLGT practices of OSS, they should first understand and adapt OSS structures (technologies, processes and norms).
This knowledge gap will be addressed by unearthing how OSS structures differ from organizational SLGTs. Multiple comparative longitudinal case studies of cutting-edge OSS teams versus organizational SLGTs will be conducted to (1) enable emulation of innovative OSS leadership structures, and (2) theorize about SLGT enablement.
Unlike previous OSS research, I enable innovative practice transfer using a practice-based approach. This approach identifies how structures and leadership recursively evolve in practice, providing a realistic view of how they can be emulated. I innovate methodologically by combining team perception data with actual behavior data, to objectively analyze the structure-leadership interaction.
This research will lead to a breakthrough by enabling cutting-edge SLGTs, and transfer of innovative OSS practices. I disseminate knowledge through a knowledge portal, workshops, edited-books, journal articles, and conference presentations. By enabling organizations form successful SLGTs, this study promises societal impacts such as higher innovation, employee satisfaction, and productivity, leading to increased global competitiveness and economic prosperity.
Keywords
leadership, self-leading global teams, qualitative research, Open Source
Theoretical Framework for the Research
