Wednesday, November 19, 2008, 11:30 AM-4:30 PM
Babbio Center, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ
Per our custom, the November meeting is devoted to Selected Faculty Research Presentations. Highlights of four research projects underway at the Howe School will be presented and the business implications discussed; see the abstracts below. This annual meeting with faculty has traditionally been one of our most stimulating and well-received meetings of the year. The Roundtable will begin at 1:30 PM.
The Roundtable will be preceded by the annual HSATM Advisory Board meeting, from 12:30-1:30 PM, devoted to a brief review of HSATM activities for 2008 and a discussion of plans for 2009. Roundtable meeting attendees are encouraged to attend the Advisory Board meeting and the buffet luncheon served from 11:30-12:30.
The meeting will take place in the Babbio Center for Technology Management on the Stevens campus in Hoboken. Dress code is business casual. Please confirm your attendance with Sharen Glennon (sglennon@stevens.edu or 201-216-5381).
Abstracts of Presentations
Managing Team Conflict in the Virtual Environment
Pat Holahan and Ann Mooney
Holahan and Mooney focus on the challenge virtual teams face in managing conflict to keep it task-oriented and to avoid destructive relationship conflict that will impact adversely on the quality of their decision-making and performance. Their early stage research indicates that the challenge of managing task and destructive conflict is even more difficult for virtual teams, who are less able than non-virtual teams to develop trust and behavioral integration norms. They offer some suggestions that virtual teams can apply to overcome the challenges.
Leading in the Virtual Age: Some Preliminary Lessons
Richard Reilly
Reilly’s research is concerned with what makes leaders effective in a world where many aspects about the way we work and live have been transformed by technology. Do traditional leadership styles and models still work given the complexity and dynamics of this transformational age? What works and what doesn’t? How do the best leaders motivate and inspire people across distances, cultures and communities? Some preliminary results will be presented from a series of interviews with senior leaders representing a broad mix of global organizations. The findings will be discussed using the framework of virtual distance, with implications for how leaders should lead in the global, virtual age.
The Role of Information Technology in the Success of Mergers and Acquisitions
Carol Brown
Brown will report on her research on the role of information technology in the success of mergers and acquisitions. Growth-by-acquisition and organizational consolidations have become common strategic initiatives over the past decade. Although information technology leaders may not be involved until after such initiatives are publicly announced, an effective IT role is critical for success. Examples from her case study research on mergers-of-equals and smaller acquisitions will be used to identify IT strategies and success factors.
Strategies for the Management of Exploratory Opportunities
Heidi Bertels
Bertels will discuss her doctoral research on how established organizations can better succeed with exploratory projects, especially opportunities that don't fit the way they are networked within the industry or that initially don't look financially attractive. The first category, new value network projects, involves new supplier and/or new customer channels – e.g., Adshel driving established manufacturers of bus shelters out of business by providing bus shelters free, charging advertisers for wall space. The second, financial hurdle projects, can look unattractive from a financial perspective, but may over time bring substantial profits – e.g., Sears missing the discount retail opportunity to Wal-Mart.
