Virtual teams make SMEs leap like frogs : A research regarding how virtual teams influence the internationalization process within a SME

Abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to examine what impact the new phenomena of virtual teams have on a Swedish SMEs internationalization process. The method of the thesis was decided to be a qualitative study, together with an abductive approach. The data was collected by interviewing managers from six different SMEs that have implemented virtual teams in their organization. All companies are located in Sweden, and are active on the international market, or aim to be internationalized in a near future. Multiple theories are presented in the theoretical framework, the theories chosen to support this thesis are Internationalization, Small-medium enterprise, Virtual teams vs physical teams, and cultural dimensions influencing the team. Based on the theories, a conceptual framework model was developed to show the connection between the mentioned theories. All findings extracted from the interviews is presented in the empirical findings chapter, where the primary data describes each case answers regarding the specific topics and theories. The analysis chapter visualizes the connection between empirical findings and the different theories, presenting advantages and challenges when using a virtual team. The conclusion of the thesis show that implementation of virtual teams can help Swedish SMEs leap over stages in a classical internationalization process. The thesis intends to influence managers of SMEs to implement virtual teams to digitalize their company, or to make their internationalization process easier. Ending the thesis with recommendations for future research