Bringing Out the Best in Virtual Teams

The use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) is more popular than ever in both educational and corporate settings. Schools and corporations are using virtual communication to replace or supplement in-person classes and meetings. Many educators and managers are taking it a step further, having teams work in a virtual setting with members rarely or never meeting each other in person. Can a virtual team be as successful as a team where everyone works in the same physical location? Does anything different need to be done to compensate for the lack of face-to-face contact? This article identifies unique factors for virtual teams, and then provides recommendations and guidelines that can help virtual teams be successful. With the right planning, virtual teams can equal or exceed the performance of face-to-face teams.

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Bringing Out the Best in Virtual Teams

Virtual Technologies ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-955-7.ch010 ◽

2008 ◽

pp. 138-145

Author(s):

Janet Schoenfeld ◽

Zane Berge

Keyword(s):

Virtual Teams ◽

Computer Mediated Communication ◽

Virtual Team ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Virtual Communication ◽

Face To Face ◽

Physical Location ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

The Right ◽

Virtual Setting

The use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) is more popular than ever in both educational and corporate settings. Schools and corporations are using virtual communication to replace or supplement in-person classes and meetings. Many educators and managers are taking it a step further, having teams work in a virtual setting with members rarely or never meeting each other in person. Can a virtual team be as successful as a team where everyone works in the same physical location? Does anything different need to be done to compensate for the lack of face-to-face contact? This article identifies unique factors for virtual teams, and then provides recommendations and guidelines that can help virtual teams be successful. With the right planning, virtual teams can equal or exceed the performance of face-to-face teams.

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Evaluation of User Acceptance of Virtual Environments and Interfaces for Communication in Virtual Teams

International Journal of Web Portals ◽

10.4018/ijwp.2014100102 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 18-40

Author(s):

Maria Manuela Cruz-Cunha ◽

Goran D. Putnik ◽

Patrícia Gonçalves ◽

Joaquim Gonçalves

Keyword(s):

Virtual Environments ◽

Virtual Teams ◽

Virtual Enterprise ◽

Computer Mediated Communication ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Virtual Communication ◽

Communication Architecture ◽

Face To Face ◽

Organizational Environments ◽

Computer Mediated

Several studies have highlighted the relevance of face-to-face communication, suggesting that computer-mediated communication can lead to decreases in group effectiveness and reduce satisfaction levels in terms of trust and comfort of its users. Supported by an experiment where the emotional or affective aspects of communication were tested, this paper validates the thesis that, from the users' perspective, there is no opposition to the acceptance of virtual environments and interfaces for communication, and that these environments are able to cope with the reconfiguration dynamics requirements of virtual teams or client-server relations in a virtual enterprise operation. For the thesis validation, the authors experimented with two architectures, the Direct Communication Architecture (DCA) and the Virtual Communication Architecture (VCA) and found that the VCA could represent a “natural” environment to cope with the new generation of organizational environments and teams, characterised by intense reconfiguration dynamics.

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Training Techniques for Developing Trust in Virtual Teams

Encyclopedia of Networked and Virtual Organizations ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-885-7.ch219 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 1659-1666

Author(s):

Peggy M. Beranek ◽

Ben Martz ◽

Monique French

Keyword(s):

Organizational Performance ◽

Virtual Teams ◽

Communication Systems ◽

Computer Mediated Communication ◽

Past Research ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Team Members ◽

Face To Face ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

Comparison Of The Results

Trust among team members is a major factor influencing the cohesiveness of the group, trust also has a direct impact on team performance, problem solving, organizational performance, and organizational communication. Virtual teams are teams in which members are distributed and communicate via computer-mediated communication systems (CMCS). Past research has indicated that the development of trust among team members requires face-to-face communication, thereby making it difficult for virtual teams to develop trust. Recent research has shown that it is possible to train virtual teams to exhibit higher levels of trust. This paper describes and discusses different methods of trust training for virtual teams. We offer a comprehensive comparison of the results and analysis of the training programs of these studies and offer advice on developing and conducting such programs.

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Women in STEM Workplaces and Computer-Mediated Communication

Research Anthology on Digital Transformation, Organizational Change, and the Impact of Remote Work ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-7297-9.ch031 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 614-639

Author(s):

Seterra D. Burleson ◽

Whitney A. Tyler ◽

Debra A. Major ◽

Katelyn R. Reynoldson

Keyword(s):

Virtual Teams ◽

Computer Mediated Communication ◽

Women In Stem ◽

Work Family Conflict ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Virtual Communication ◽

Representation Of Women ◽

Research And Innovation ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

Work Family

As women have the potential to bring unique perspectives to the workplace, the under-representation of women in STEM occupations is a severe limitation to global advancement through research and innovation. Workplace utilization of computer-mediated communication (CMC) may impact common barriers faced by women in STEM, such as stereotypes, a “chilly” workplace climate, lack of social support and mentorship opportunities, and work-family conflict. As organizations shift further into the use of virtual communication, it is essential to take advantage of CMC as a way to facilitate gender equality in the workplace while simultaneously mitigating barriers workplace CMC may present for women in STEM. The potential implications of workplace virtual communication, virtual teams, e-mentoring, cyber incivility, and telecommuting for women in STEM careers are discussed.

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Women in STEM Workplaces and Computer-Mediated Communication

International Journal of Virtual Communities and Social Networking ◽

10.4018/ijvcsn.2018070101 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 1-22

Author(s):

Seterra D. Burleson ◽

Whitney A. Tyler ◽

Debra A. Major ◽

Katelyn R. Reynoldson

Keyword(s):

Virtual Teams ◽

Computer Mediated Communication ◽

Women In Stem ◽

Work Family Conflict ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Virtual Communication ◽

Representation Of Women ◽

Research And Innovation ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

Work Family

As women have the potential to bring unique perspectives to the workplace, the under-representation of women in STEM occupations is a severe limitation to global advancement through research and innovation. Workplace utilization of computer-mediated communication (CMC) may impact common barriers faced by women in STEM, such as stereotypes, a “chilly” workplace climate, lack of social support and mentorship opportunities, and work-family conflict. As organizations shift further into the use of virtual communication, it is essential to take advantage of CMC as a way to facilitate gender equality in the workplace while simultaneously mitigating barriers workplace CMC may present for women in STEM. The potential implications of workplace virtual communication, virtual teams, e-mentoring, cyber incivility, and telecommuting for women in STEM careers are discussed.

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Challenges In Managing Virtual Teams

Journal of Business & Economics Research (JBER) ◽

10.19030/jber.v8i3.690 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rudy Nydegger ◽

Liesl Nydegger

Keyword(s):

Virtual Teams ◽

New Technologies ◽

Computer Mediated Communication ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Virtual Team ◽

Font Size ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

The World ◽

Time Zones

Many organizations are taking advantage of the opportunities to utilize new technologies to become more effective and efficient.  One of the newer types of approaches to be used is the “virtual team.”  These are teams that are comprised of members who do not work at the same place or even at the same time.  They may be spread across many time zones and may be located all over the world.  These types of teams are made possible by advances in computer-mediated communication and software that allows people to work collaboratively on projects without being co-located or even working at the same time.  Obviously, managing teams of this sort presents many, and sometimes unique, challenges.  This paper addresses these issues, analyzes them, and offers suggestions for relevant management strategies.

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Writing Research into Professional E-Mail Communication

Handbook of Research on Virtual Workplaces and the New Nature of Business Practices ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-893-2.ch026 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 364-381

Author(s):

Kristie Edwards ◽

Simeon Yates ◽

Anne-Florence Dujardin ◽

Geff Green

Keyword(s):

Virtual Teams ◽

Computer Mediated Communication ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Social Exchanges ◽

Face To Face ◽

Team Culture ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

Writing Research ◽

Task Oriented ◽

E Mail

A healthy balance between social and task-oriented activities helps teamwork. In virtual teams, e-mail texts must often carry both task-oriented and socio-emotional communication between individuals. While some theories of computer-mediated communication suggest socio-emotional exchange may not be well supported in e-mail communications, research demonstrates that individuals, nevertheless, achieve this. However, the lack of unplanned informal exchanges in virtual teams communicating by e-mail may still hinder team performance. We compared adaptations in socio-emotional content of e-mail communications in academic and commercial team writing contexts. Results suggested a task-oriented focus in the commercial team culture and an even social-task balance in the academic team culture. Our research leads us to recommend a more conversational style in professional e-mail writing. Additionally in virtual team working, we recommend encouraging face-to-face contact, allocating time specifically for social exchanges and making information about colleagues available to each other.

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E-Tools for E-Team

Advances in IT Personnel and Project Management - Strategic Management and Leadership for Systems Development in Virtual Spaces ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-9688-4.ch006 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 90-109

Author(s):

Cathrine Linnes

Keyword(s):

Virtual Teams ◽

Computer Mediated Communication ◽

Virtual Team ◽

Online Collaboration ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Collaborative Tools ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

Collaboration Skills ◽

Virtual Projects ◽

The University

Organizations are heavily investing in virtual teams to enhance their performance and competitiveness. These types of teams are made possible by advances in computer-mediated communication and software that allows people to work collaboratively on projects without being co-located or even working at the same time. Managing teams and collaborating online presents unique challenges. Maintaining a productive virtual team requires more than just the willingness of global participants, but even more so the tools to conduct and manage virtual projects. It is therefore important to incorporate online collaboration skills into the IT curriculum at the university level. This chapter provides a general overview of virtual teams; today's collaborative tools, and discuss expertise necessary for virtual teams to be successful.

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Training to Improve Trust in Virtual Teams

Encyclopedia of Networked and Virtual Organizations ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-885-7.ch220 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 1667-1674

Author(s):

Monique L. French ◽

Peggy M. Beranek

Keyword(s):

Virtual Teams ◽

Computer Mediated Communication ◽

Project Teams ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Team Members ◽

Trust Development ◽

Face To Face ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

Efficient Communication ◽

The Impact

Several factors have been shown to affect how effective virtual teams communicate. One of these factors, trust, has received a great deal of attention by researchers. However, most virtual team members do not receive training on how to effectively communicate and promote trust. Several theories have questioned the ability of computer-mediated systems to aid the development of communication, trust, and other interpersonal attributes that are needed to form successful teams. Some researchers suggest computer-mediated communication does not differ from face-to-face communications in terms of the substance but in terms of a slower rate of transfer. However, most academic virtual teams and many organizational project teams meet over the course of several months and are then disbanded, thereby not having enough time to develop the types of links needed for effective, efficient communication. Our research investigates the impact of training on trust development by tracking trust levels among members of virtual teams in an academic environment. We extend the current research on the use of virtual teams by applying team training and tracking the resulting change in trust.

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