Learning to Lead Online Collaborations: Insights from Student-based Global Virtual Teams between UK and Norway

In this paper we present a virtual collaborative student project across two universities in the UK and Norway. The students involved were all Master students in Digital Innovation & Analytics and Digital Collaboration retrospectively. The project also had an industry partner, Cisco, and was set up as part of students’ learning in their corresponding universities. Five student-based Global virtual teams (GVTs) were formed. We draw on the experiences of these GVTs to gain better understanding of students’ experiences in dispersed collaboration giving particular focus on the leadership practices adopted in student-based GVTs. Our analysis of the GVT members’ experiences and reflections show that the way leadership was enacted had a role to play in the collaboration within the GVT. Overall, students appreciated being given the opportunity to be part of a globally dispersed project and were able to identify lessons learned and skills that they gained from the experience. Further, students were able to get practical experience in being part of virtual teams and to implement some of the ideas and approaches that they have learned from theory and in class discussions. For example, personal qualities that are central to success in virtual teams, i.e. communication skills, intercultural skills, interpersonal skills, methodological and technical skills, team working skills and leadership skills.