Integrating Knowledge through Consistency between Leadership and Technology in Distributed Teams

Abstract

The literature on distributed work has recognized the importance of enhancing our understanding of how leadership processes change in globally distributed teams (GDTs), and of the interplay between leadership processes and the use of collaborative technologies. Following the theoretical framework of e- leadership, the aim of this paper is to explore how emergent and formal leadership processes co-evolve with the use of collaborative technologies in a GDT and their influence on team performance. We conducted a multiple case study of five GDTs engaged in European scientific collaborations. Our analysis suggests that the consistency between leadership processes and technology use is related to better knowledge integration, which is an important antecedent of overall team performance. The grounded model that we build contributes to the literature on distribute teams effectiveness, knowledge integration, and team science, and provides practical hints to team managers and policy makers.