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11 – 20 of over 140000Luiz Henrique da Silva, Tatiana Ghedine and Francielle Molon da Silva
This article aims to analyze the way the leader acts in the development of collective competencies (CC) of fashion work teams, seeking to demonstrate ways in which the leader can…
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to analyze the way the leader acts in the development of collective competencies (CC) of fashion work teams, seeking to demonstrate ways in which the leader can collaborate for the development of the collective work.
Design/methodology/approach
With a qualitative approach, this paper carried out a case study strategy having the Creation Center of a fashion group from Santa Catarina, Brazil as a research object. Data collection took place through semi-structured interviews and participant observation with 36 employees from 6 work teams from 5 clothing brands.
Findings
Our findings make it clear that the leader influences the CC development of fashion work teams. The leader's role becomes essential for directing and developing his team, seeking to encourage participation and cooperation between team members to achieve the objectives and expected results. It was considered that the CC development could be associated with how much the leader represents his team and contributes with guidelines that emphasize the collective and the people and teams' development. The leader who makes the cooperative relationship feasible, encourages effort and promotes cohesion and teamwork tends to collaborate with actions that foster CC development.
Originality/value
From a theoretical perspective, it is the first study to analyze empirically the relationship between leadership and CC. A model with 18 guidelines was developed, divided into six determining factors (activity dynamics, team composition, individual characteristics and dispositions, team integration, communication and physical structure) that demonstrated the way the leader collaborates for the CC development. For the fashion industry, this study demonstrates elements capable of assisting collective creativity and the development of fashion collections.
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This study aims to develop a model for coordination and communication overhead in distributed software development through case study analysis in the Indian outsourcing software…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to develop a model for coordination and communication overhead in distributed software development through case study analysis in the Indian outsourcing software industry. The model is based on business knowledge, which can be classified as domain, regulatory, strategic, business process and operation process knowledge as per existing literature.
Design/methodology/approach
Double case study method was used to verify an existing knowledge–management framework of software development from the literature. The stakeholders of both the cases were interviewed, and project documents were verified to reach conclusions.
Findings
The findings supported the business knowledge classification from the literature. The concept can be used to analyze the software project in a distributed environment.
Research limitations/implications
The research work findings are based only on two case studies. The study findings cannot be generalized and should be used as a learning tool. There can be large variations of project characteristics with differences in business knowledge requirements. The research shows the importance of business knowledge transfer in global software development.
Practical implications
Projects managers in the distributed software development environment can use the findings in project planning and work allocation for better control over cost and schedule, etc.
Originality/value
There is little research works attempted to study the business knowledge classification in the global software industry making the research novel.
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Debasisha Mishra and Biswajit Mahanty
The purpose of this paper is to find good values of onsite-offshore team strength; number of hours of communication between business users and onsite team and between onsite and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to find good values of onsite-offshore team strength; number of hours of communication between business users and onsite team and between onsite and offshore team so as to reduce project cost and improve schedule in a global software development (GSD) environment for software development project.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs system dynamics simulation approach to study software project characteristics in both co-located and distributed development environments. The authors consulted 14 experts from Indian software outsourcing industry during our model construction and validation.
Findings
The study results show that there is a drop in overall team productivity in outsourcing environment by considering the offshore options. But the project cost can be reduced by employing the offshore team for coding and testing work only with minimal training for imparting business knowledge. The research results show that there is a potential to save project cost by being flexible in project schedule.
Research limitations/implications
The implication of the study is that the project management team should be careful not to keep high percentage of manpower at offshore location in distributed software environment. A large offshore team can increase project cost and schedule due to higher training overhead, lower productivity and higher error proneness. In GSD, the management effort should be to keep requirement analysis and design work at onsite location and involves the offshore team in coding and testing work.
Practical implications
The software project manager can use the model results to divide the software team between onsite and offshore location during various phases of software development in distributed environment.
Originality/value
The study is novel as there is little attempt at finding the team distribution between onsite and offshore location in GSD environment.
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Manjari Maheshwari, Uma Kumar and Vinod Kumar
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of alignment at the team level. Because teams are important in software development projects, the paper focuses on…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of alignment at the team level. Because teams are important in software development projects, the paper focuses on studying the influence of alignment between the social and technical capabilities on software development team performance. Drawing on socio‐technical theory and software product development literature, the paper aims to identify social and technical capabilities for software development teams.
Design/methodology/approach
Empirical data from 192 software development teams were analyzed. The profile deviation approach was used to calculate alignment.
Findings
The findings suggest that misalignment between capabilities negatively impacts product and process performance.
Research limitations/implications
The study provides an intellectually coherent view in studying software development team performance. The study contributes to the literature by assessing alignment needs at the team level.
Practical implications
The study provides a holistic view for studying team capabilities and guides software development team leaders and managers to consider both the social and technical aspects in assessing team performance.
Originality/value
Alignment or misalignment is mostly studied in the literature from a macro level/organizational perspective. There exists a gap in the literature for studying alignment at more granular levels such as between various business sub‐units or within teams. The study addresses the gap by studying alignment within teams.
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Goparaju Purna Sudhakar, Ayesha Farooq and Sanghamitra Patnaik
The purpose of this paper is to classify the factors affecting the performance of software development teams and stress the soft (non‐technical) factors affecting the performance…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to classify the factors affecting the performance of software development teams and stress the soft (non‐technical) factors affecting the performance of software development teams.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on the thorough secondary research and literature review of the past empirical studies published in reputed journals. The methodology followed is the secondary research based on extensive literature review of empirical studies done and analysis of the findings of those studies and categorization of the factors affecting the software development team performance. Literature review and analysis were carried out between March 2010 and March 2011.
Findings
It was found that the soft factors such as team climate, team diversity, team innovation, team member competencies and characteristics, top management support and team leader behavior, have an effect on software development team performance. Mutual trust and communication effectiveness are found to be the prioritized factors affecting the software development team performance.
Research limitations/implications
The conclusions made are based on the past empirical studies found in the literature. A primary research can be done by taking these soft factors into consideration and implications or observations can be found on the software development team's performance.
Originality/value
The original contribution of this paper is the classification of factors affecting the performance of software development teams. This contribution also highlights the soft factors such as team climate, which was not discussed much in the literature. It also highlights trust and communication, for example, as leading factors affecting the software development team performance.
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Packaged software companies evolve in an environment characterized by ever‐shorter product life cycles and ever‐increasing competition. Reaching the marketplace first is often the…
Abstract
Packaged software companies evolve in an environment characterized by ever‐shorter product life cycles and ever‐increasing competition. Reaching the marketplace first is often the way to gain a competitive advantage. This situation leads many packaged software organizations to change both their (often sequential) software development processes and rely on (often cross‐functional) teams. Reports on the software development practices of Software Corp., an organization developing software products for the travel industry, which experimented with several different approaches and finally implemented cross‐functional development teams. Data presented show that changes in the software development process deeply affect many aspects of the organization. The conclusions emphasize the importance of considering the work culture and organizational history when implementing a new software development method and highlight the importance of clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of all groups involved and the necessity to modify the company’s performance‐appraisal system to promote and support the new organizational objectives embodied in the changes in software development methods.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine the antecedents and implications of aligning the organizational values embedded in a systems development approach (e.g. agile) with the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the antecedents and implications of aligning the organizational values embedded in a systems development approach (e.g. agile) with the organizational values of project team members.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative case study approach is used to examine systems development project teams at three organizations, each using a development approach that incorporates different organizational value dimensions. Interviews were conducted with developers, systems analysts, and managers regarding their systems development experiences. A structured coding of the interview transcripts was then completed to enable analysis of value dimensions.
Findings
By comparing the dominant values between the project teams and their development approach, varying degrees of alignment were identified. Where alignment is high, perceptions of the systems development process are associated with satisfaction and enthusiasm; where alignment is low, perceptions focus on frustration and discontent.
Research limitations/implications
Based on the study's findings, four propositions pertaining to the antecedents and implications of IS values alignment are outlined for examination in future research.
Practical implications
The findings from this study can aid managers who are considering the use of a new systems development approach or evaluating the effectiveness of their current approach. By determining the degree of information systems (IS) values alignment, organizations may be able to customize their development approach to be more consistent with the team's values, in order to minimize negative development process perceptions and increase project performance.
Originality/value
This research extends past studies of organizational values and alignment by introducing the concept of IS values alignment.
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Xusen Cheng, Terry Nolan and Linda Macaulay
This paper aims to examine the development of trust during online collaboration. The purpose of the inquiry is to improve the understanding of individual trust development in…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the development of trust during online collaboration. The purpose of the inquiry is to improve the understanding of individual trust development in longitudinal online collaboration teams.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper reveals the conclusion of a longitudinal online collaboration case study of two student cohorts over a two‐year period, where each cohort is in their first year, based on a previous trust research model. However, the study is conducted in a new context through the implementation of online collaboration tools. Data is collected using longitudinal surveys and in‐depth interviews.
Findings
The paper demonstrates that trust development in different online collaboration groups does not follow a particular pattern in this case study. This development is characterised by fluctuation and complexity. Trust development does not attain the ideal state discussed in previous research and trust development is different within each team. The paper provides insight into the complexities of trust development in an online collaboration environment and information system understanding.
Research limitations/implications
The paper demonstrates the findings regarding development features are context‐specific and have not been subjected to testing for replication within other settings. The authors intend this for future research.
Practical implications
The observations will help team leaders to understand changes in trust. It will also aid system developers and designers to consider trust development features in future system design for online collaboration environment and tools.
Originality/value
The paper builds upon a previous trust development model but applies it to the context of online collaboration using student groups to analyse the findings over time.
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Discusses the characteristics of packaged software versus information systems (IS) development environments that capture the differences between the teams that develop software in…
Abstract
Discusses the characteristics of packaged software versus information systems (IS) development environments that capture the differences between the teams that develop software in these respective industries. The analysis spans four levels: the industry, the dynamics of software development, the cultural milieu, and the teams themselves. Finds that, relative to IS: the packaged software industry is characterized by intense time pressures, less attention to costs, and different measures of success; the packaged software development environment is characterized by being a “line” rather than “staff” unit, having a greater distance from the actual users/customers, a less mature development process; the packaged software cultural milieu is characterized as individualistic and entrepreneurial; the packaged software team is characterized as less likely to be matrix managed and being smaller, more co‐located, with a greater shared vision.
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Thomas N. Garavan, John P. Wilson, Christine Cross, Ronan Carbery, Inga Sieben, Andries de Grip, Christer Strandberg, Claire Gubbins, Valerie Shanahan, Carole Hogan, Martin McCracken and Norma Heaton
Utilising data from 18 in‐depth case studies, this study seeks to explore training, development and human resource development (HRD) practices in European call centres. It aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
Utilising data from 18 in‐depth case studies, this study seeks to explore training, development and human resource development (HRD) practices in European call centres. It aims to argue that the complexity and diversity of training, development and HRD practices is best understood by studying the multilayered contexts within which call centres operate. Call centres operate as open systems and training, development and HRD practices are influenced by environmental, strategic, organisational and temporal conditions.
Design/methodology/approach
The study utilised a range of research methods, including in‐depth interviews with multiple stakeholders, documentary analysis and observation. The study was conducted over a two‐year period.
Findings
The results indicate that normative models of HRD are not particularly valuable and that training, development and HRD in call centres is emergent and highly complex.
Originality/value
This study represents one of the first studies to investigate training and development and HRD practices and systems in European call centres.
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