Results of an experiment comparing the analysis of Chick-fil-A case study by virtual teams versus face-to-face teams

Journal of SMET Education : Innovations and Research,  Jan-Jun 2003  by Redman, Carl Andrew,  Sankar, Chetan S

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Abstract

This paper outlines and presents the findings of an experiment that was performed using virtual teams. Two classes - one at Louisiana State University and one at Auburn University - were divided up into face-toface teams and virtual teams. The virtual teams had members from both schools, and the members used information technology to prepare a

write-up and a presentation by analyzing the Chick-Fil-A case study. The authors spent a class period teaching students how to use a virtual meeting tool, Microsoft(R) NetMeeting. The goals of the experiment included comparing virtual team performance with face-to-face teams, the time spent on the project by both types of teams, team members' understanding of the purpose and mission, and team members sat

isfaction with their experience. The results indicate that face-to-face teams were more successful in all areas. The paper provides recommendations on how to run virtual teams in the future. Additionally, the paper explains what a virtual team is and provides examples of virtual teams, the effectiveness of virtual teams, and the criteria to measure success of teamworking.

1. Introduction

1.1. Goals of the experiment

Virtual teams that include members from different cities and countries have become commonplace in the business world in solving problems and coming up with innovative designs. With the use of virtual teams on the rise, many questions arise about the effectiveness of virtual teams. The questions appear in Table 1 below.

An experiment was run concurrently in a senior level course at Auburn University and Louisiana State University in order to answer the above questions. This paper describes the experiment used to answer the above questions and the results from the experiment.

1.2. Definitions of the experiment

The following definitions apply to the information presented in this paper: Virtual team: A virtual team is a "group of people organized to collaborate with each other towards a common goal while located at two or more work sites distant from one another" ("Virtual Teams," 2001). The virtual teams in this experiment were composed of Louisiana State University and Auburn University students working together on the Chick-Fil-A case study using technologies such as telephone, chat, instant message, and email to communicate.

Face-to-face team: A face-to-face team is a group of people organized to collaborate with each other towards a common goal while meeting in the same location. The face-to-face teams in this experiment were composed of either LSU or Auburn students working together on the Chick-Fil-A case study using mostly face-to-face meetings to communicate.

2. Literature review

2.1 Examples of Virtual Teams in Industry

Many large companies are using virtual teams, including Shell Oil, Sun Microsystems, and Motorola. NCR successfully used virtual teams to turn the company around. Using videoconferences, team members from different continents met to virtually design and complete NCR's computer system in less than eleven months (Lipnack, 1999).

A great example of a project that used virtual teams is Boeing's 777.

At the start of its 777 project, Boeing brought members of the design team from dozens of countries to Everett, WA, providing them with opportunities to work together. From a practical point of view, for a period of 18 months, they learned how to function within the company's project management system. The shared experiences also developed a level of trust between team members that later enabled them to overcome the obstacles inevitably raised by their separation. Linked by a network of 1,700 workstations that spanned more than a dozen countries, the 777 was launched in 5 years -30 to 40 percent faster than comparable paper- based designs. The plane also boasted 33 percent greater fuel efficiency than the 747, and cost 25 percent less (Kezsbom, 2000).

Without information technology, the development of the 777 probably would not have been as successful. One indication of how much the team members depended on information technology is that approximately one and a half billion bytes of data were transmitted on the network (Snyder et al, 1998).

Another industry that takes advantage of virtual teams is medicine. Telemedicine is the "use of information technology and telecommunications to deliver health-care services, with an emphasis on reaching medically underserved communities" (Anderson, 2000). Some examples of telemedicine are putting cameras in ambulances, emergency rooms, and examining rooms so doctors can view procedures away from the scene. In Louisiana, where the accident mortality rate is 1.5 times greater in rural areas, city doctors advice rural doctors using CAT scans, x-rays, and more. "Rural doctors are often short-staffed, are not as familiar with some symptoms and lack sophisticated technology to quickly diagnose certain illnesses" ("Grants," 1998). A network has also been created for rural healthcare providers ("$500,000," 1999). Telehealth units are used to monitor patients from another location. Although nurses still visit the patients periodically, the telehealth units provide more frequent check-ups, decreased visits to hospitals and emergency rooms, decreased travel time, and decreased costs for the visits (Anderson, 2000).