Abstract
With globalization, virtual teamwork is becoming the predominant type of labor organization within multinational companies. Empirical studies on this new form of teamwork show that besides requiring specific knowledge, this teamwork requires social skills, as well as media and methodological competencies. The Bologna-Process has produced, for European universities, a clear framework on how to prepare young professionals for the challenges of their future working lives by focusing on extra-curricular activities and developing personal core competencies. Accordingly, this chapter outlines how to prepare students for work in a virtual team environment, which requires fundamental reforms to university education. A key element of proposed reforms is the introduction of Collaborative Computer Supported Learning as the leading didactic principle, especially in postgraduate studies.
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- 1.
For a clear description of the growing complexity of systems (companies) cf the system theory developed by Niklas Luhmann. Accordingly, the system is defined as a set of elements and relations which are dependent upon each other. A company is insofar an Open System, as it exists in mutual relation (input and output relation) to its environment. The generic term globalization describes a development which implies a growing number of system elements with a theoretical geometric progression and an increasing number of relations. If one does not simply count the elements, but rather considers the qualitative diversity of these and the time dimension according to the variety of elements and relations, then the complexity of the economic systems (companies) becomes apparent (Luhmann, 1997).
- 2.
Computer Supported Collaborative Learning is abbreviated to CSCL.
- 3.
Collaborative and cooperative learning are not used as synonyms. In cooperative learning work, tasks are hierarchical in independent areas that are divided from each other; team work is needed only at the end for summarizing the single parts. In collaborative work, the division of the whole into parts is more or less impossible as the complexity of tasks requires a high degree of interdependence in work and solution processes.
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Lenz, R., Machado, C. (2008). Virtual Teamwork: A Product of Globalization. In: Barsky, N.P., Clements, M., Ravn, J., Smith, K. (eds) The Power of Technology for Learning. Advances in Business Education and Training, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8747-9_5
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