Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer

Publications

Vol. 2 No. 1 (2024): Advancing Sustainable Solutions

Human Resource Management (HRM) Challenges in Managing Virtual Teams across Borders for UK Multinational Businesses

Submitted
January 11, 2024
Published
2024-01-30

Abstract

The proliferation of virtual teams in UK multinational businesses has fundamentally transformed human resource management practices. This research examined the key challenges faced by HRM professionals when managing geographically dispersed, culturally diverse virtual teams. Through analysis of existing literature and industry practices, this study identified five primary challenge areas: cultural integration and communication barriers, technology infrastructure and digital literacy gaps, performance management and accountability systems, employee engagement and retention strategies, and legal compliance across multiple jurisdictions. The findings revealed that while virtual teams offer significant operational advantages, they present complex HRM challenges that require innovative solutions and adaptive management approaches. This paper provides practical recommendations for HR practitioners and senior management in UK multinational organizations to enhance virtual team effectiveness and overcome cross-border management obstacles.

References

  1. Adamovic, M. (2018). An employee-focused human resource management perspective for the management of global virtual teams. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 29(14), 2159-2187. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2017.1323227
  2. Allen, D., Lee, Y.-t., & Reiche, S. (2015). Global work in the multinational enterprise: New avenues and challenges for strategically managing human capital across borders. Journal of management, 41(7), 2032-2035. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206315602217
  3. Bell, B. S., & Kozlowski, S. W. (2002). A typology of virtual teams: Implications for effective leadership. Group & Organization Management, 27(1), 14-49. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601102027001003
  4. Caligiuri, P., De Cieri, H., Minbaeva, D., Verbeke, A., & Zimmermann, A. (2022). International HRM insights for navigating the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for future research and practice. In Crises and disruptions in international business: How multinational enterprises respond to crises (pp. 417-454). Springer. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-80383-4_17
  5. Cascio, W. F., & Montealegre, R. (2016). How technology is changing work and organizations? Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 3(1), 349-375. https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-041015-062352
  6. Daft, R. L., & Lengel, R. H. (1986). Organizational information requirements, media richness and structural design. Management Science, 32(5), 513-644. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.32.5.554
  7. Dulebohn, J. H., & Hoch, J. E. (2017). Virtual teams in organizations. Human Resource Management Review, 27(4), 569-574. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2016.12.004
  8. Gallup. (2020). State of the Global Workplace. Gallup Press.
  9. Gibbs, J. L., & Boyraz, M. (2014). IHRM's role in managing global teams. In The Routledge companion to international human resource management (pp. 532-551). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315761282-35/ihrm-role-managing-global-teams-jennifer-gibbs-maggie-boyraz
  10. Gilson, L. L., Maynard, M. T., Jones Young, N. C., Vartiainen, M., & Hakonen, M. (2015). Virtual teams research: 10 years, 10 themes, and 10 opportunities. Journal of management, 41(5), 1313-1337. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314559946
  11. Golden, T. D., Veiga, J. F., & Simsek, Z. (2006). Telecommuting's differential impact on work-family conflict: Is there no place like home? Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(6), 1340-1350. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.91.6.1340
  12. Hinds, P., Liu, L., & Lyon, J. (2011). Putting the global in global work: An intercultural lens on the practice of cross-national collaboration. Academy of Management Annals, 5(1), 135-188. https://doi.org/10.5465/19416520.2011.586108
  13. Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture's consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations. SAGE Publications. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=9HE-DQAAQBAJ&dq=Hofstede,+G.+(2001).+Culture%27s+consequences:+Comparing+values,+behaviours,+institutions+and+organizations+across+nations+(2nd+ed.).+Sage+Publications.&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s
  14. Jimenez, A., Boehe, D. M., Taras, V., & Caprar, D. V. (2017). Working across boundaries: Current and future perspectives on global virtual teams. Journal of International Management, 23(4), 341-349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2017.05.001
  15. Kayworth, T., & Leidner, D. (2000). The global virtual manager: A prescription for success. European Management Journal, 18(2), 183-194. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/S0263-2373(99)00090-0
  16. Martins, L. L., Gilson, L. L., & Maynard, M. T. (2004). Virtual teams: What do we know and where do we go from here? Journal of management, 30(6), 805-835. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jm.2004.05.002
  17. Oppong, N. Y. (2018). Human resource management transfer challenges within multinational firms: From tension to best-fit. Management Research Review, 41(7), 860-877.
  18. Patrick, W. S., Jha, J. K., & Sharma, K. G. (2023). Strategic international human resource management (SIHRM) framework: An integrated review and directions for future research. Journal of Global Mobility, 11(2), 274-294. https://doi.org/10.1108/JGM-08-2022-0039
  19. Pucik, V., Evans, P., Bjorkman, I., & Morris, S. (2024). The global challenge: International human resource management. SAGE Publications. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Q9trEQAAQBAJ&dq=Pucik,+V.,+Evans,+P.,+Bjorkman,+I.,+%26+Morris,+S.+(2010).+The+global+challenge:+International+human+resource+management+(2nd+ed.).+McGraw-Hill+Education.&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s
  20. PwC. (2021). 22nd Annual Global CEO Survey: UK findings (PricewaterhouseCoopers., Issue.
  21. Shachaf, P. (2008). Cultural diversity and information and communication technology impacts on global virtual teams: An exploratory study. Information & Management, 45(2), 131-142. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378720608000153
  22. Sollander, F. H. A., & Shah, S. H. W. A. (2024). The allocation of people as Human Capital Resources across global teams within MNEs-A Multiple Case Study.
  23. Stahl, G. K., Maznevski, M. L., Voigt, A., & Jonsen, K. (2010). Unraveling the effects of cultural diversity in teams: A meta-analysis of research on multicultural work groups. Journal of International Business Studies, 41(4), 690-709. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/jibs.2009.85

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Similar Articles

11-20 of 44

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 3 4 5 6 > >>