To enable flexibility and global integration in multinationals, global teams become more fluid, forming and dispersing quickly to meet the needs of the organization. However, current team conceptualizations and methodological approaches do not provide a clear understanding of dynamic global teams and how they perform global work in multinational companies. To solve this problem, we are using the teaming perspective (Edmonson, 2012) to explore the global work in the complex matrix structure of Computer, a large multinational technology company.
Our study includes interviews and insights from 40 global account teams.
The results suggest that an intermediate structure, called a ‘meta-team’, provides a repository space that supports teamwork. Within the ‘meta-team’team’, operational practices and a common mindset provide guidance on member behaviour and expectations. In addition, team sub-structures are formed and modified to adapt to activities. This study contributes to the literature by (i) demonstrating how dynamic global work is carried out in multinationals using ‘meta-teams’ and ‘teaming,’ (ii) by showing how ‘meta-teams’teams’ address some of the challenges of global work such as seamless collaboration and participation across multiple teams. , (iii) provide new information on teamwork in context and temporary work.
