Leading for team adaptation in global virtual teams

There exists significant evidence in the relevant literature that global virtual teams (GVTs) have become ubiquitous in most sectors and have attracted both scholarly and practitioner interest. Despite this—and the fluid and dynamic character of GVTs—there exist gaps as to what team adaptation looks like in the GVT context and how leadership can be exercised to support it. The chapter presents an exploratory case study with members of GVTs in a global organization in the financial services industry. Drawing on interviews with selected participants, the chapter makes the following contributions: (a) it shows what GVT adaptation looks like, highlighting its heterogeneous character; (b) it identifies challenges GVT members face when trying to adapt; and (c) it explains how leadership can be exercised to support GVT adaptation. Recommendations for practitioners and educators are provided, and implications for future research discussed.