JUST REWARDS
The importance of rewards emerged as a fourth thread related to the formation of GDTs and to their ongoing work. Both individual and team rewards had a positive effect on team collaboration. GDTs that received individual or team rewards were more likely to make decisions as a team rather than relying on the team leader for decisions. Team members were more likely to get along with each other, to have strategic conflicts, and to discuss conflicts openly, and they were less likely to view time zones as having an impact on the team's work.
Geographically dispersed teams face myriad challenges, including team formation, meeting logistics, and conflict resolution.
A fifth thread was the importance of strategic conflict. The presence of strategic conflict had a positive association with team effectiveness. Effective teams have clear and measurable goals, and we believe that one of the main benefits of a dispersed team is that members naturally bring different perspectives on how to accomplish those goals.