Virtual Teams and Tr ust
There has been some concern that, because virtual teams lack face-to-face interaction,
it may be more difficult to build trust among individuals. However, two recent studies
examining how virtual teams work on projects indicate that virtual teams can develop
close interaction and trust; these qualities simply evolve differently than in face-to-face
groups.^79 In face-to-face groups, trust comes from direct interaction, over time. In virtual
teams, trust is either established at the outset or it generally does not develop. The
researchers found that initial electronic messages set the tone for how interactions
occurred throughout the entire project. In one team, for instance, when the appointed
leader sent an introductory message that had a distrustful tone,
the team suffered low morale and poor performance through-
out the duration of the project. The researchers suggest that
virtual teams should start with an electronic “courtship,” where
members provide some personal information. Then the teams
should assign clear roles to members, helping members to
identify with each other. Finally, the researchers noted that
teams whose members had a positive attitude (eagerness,
enthusiasm, and intense action orientation in messages) did
considerably better than teams that had one or more pes-
simists. The article by S. L. Jarvenpaa, K. Knoll, and D. E.
Leidner cited in endnote 79 of this chapter provides more
detail on this subject; you might find the team experience
reported there interesting.Creating Virtual Workspaces
It is obvious that virtual teams must rely on technology to com-
municate. But what is the best way to do this? Team members can
be overwhelmed with email, drowning in messages to the point
of failing to read them. To better understand the problem, a
recent study looked at 54 teams from 26 companies operating in
a wide variety of industries.^80 The researchers found that 83 per-
cent of the teams they studied used virtual workspaces (also
known as virtual meeting rooms) to communicate. The virtual
workspace is a team website on a company’s intranet, designed
to help remind team members of their “decisions, rationales,
and commitments.” The virtual workspace can have “walls” or
links to information about each person, and discussion forums
with topic threads that cover important issues and problems.
The discussion forums can also serve as places to post work-in-
progress to get feedback. Exhibit 5-8 on page 173 shows an exam-
ple of a virtual workspace for a project at Shell.
Tips for managers who want to improve the way virtual
teams function include the following: ensure that the team
addresses feelings of isolation that members might have; ensure
that team members have a mix of interpersonal and technical
skills; and pay careful attention to evaluating performance and
providing recognition and feedback.^81 By engaging in sponta-
neous communication with virtual team members, managers
can also reduce the likelihood and impact of conflict.^82 For
more tips on improving the way virtual teams function, see
OB in Action—Managing Virtual Teams.172 Part 2Striving for Performance
OB IN ACTION
Managing Virtual Teams
Establishing trust and commitment, encouraging com-
munication, and assessing team members pose tremen-
dous challenges for virtual team managers. Here are a
few tips to make the process easier:
➔Establish regular timesfor group interaction.
➔Set up firm rulesfor communication.
➔Use visual forms of communicationwhere pos-
sible.
➔Copythe good points of on-site teams.For
example, allow time for informal chitchat and
socializing, and celebrate achievements.
➔Give and receive feedbackand offer assistance
on a regular basis. Be persistent with people who
are not communicating with you or each other.
➔Agree on standard technologyso all team mem-
bers can work together easily.
➔Consider using 360-degree feedbackto better
understand and evaluate team members. This type
of feedback comes from the full circle of daily con-
tacts that an employee might have, including super-
visors, peers, subordinates, and clients.
➔Provide a virtual workspacevia an intranet, web-
site, or bulletin board.
➔Note which employees effectively use emailto
build team rapport.
➔Smooth the way for the next assignmentif
membership on the team, or the team itself, is not
permanent.
➔Be availableto employees, but don’t wait for
them to seek you out.
➔Encourage informal, off-line conversation
between team members.Source:C. Joinson, “Managing Virtual Teams,” HR
Magazine,June 2002, p. 71. Reprinted with the permission
of HR Magazine,published by the Society for Human
Resource Management, Alexandria, VA.