Also, the research team also assessed and did a comparison team performance regarding their deliverable quality which indicates that both face-to-face and virtual teams result to a relatively higher initial trust to the team members overall experience. It is important to note that more enduring trust must be maintained using positive and task-oriented team dynamics. Various teammates need to meet work expectations and maintain the trusting atmosphere.
The findings concluded that trust in an organization is an important factor in ensuring sustainable team performance for both the face-to-face and virtual teams and a team with a higher trust performs better. The research team also found out that both the virtual team and the face-to-face teams spend similar time in the formation stages. Even though there is no momentous difference in the two, the final findings lean towards the virtual team as the best direction towards ensuring effectiveness.
D'Souza, G. C. (2010). Task and Relationship Conflict in Virtual Versus Face-to-face Teams (Doctoral dissertation, Central Michigan University).
The research focused on examining the significant differences that exist face-to-face versus that the virtual teams based on various attributes, process, and outcomes. The characteristics, in this case, involve the group size, the type of communication technology involved and the group size. The method incorporates the trust, cohesiveness amongst the groups and communication while outcome assessed involve team performance and member satisfaction.
The study undertook a comprehensive task and relationship conflict between face to face and virtual teams by the use of two types of task: negotiation task and idea generation. About forty team of three members each was used in either the face to face or the computer-mediated communication method to undertake the study. There were four independent variables in the study; frequency of the various task conflicts, the frequency of relationship conflict, team performance and finally team member satisfaction. The face-to-face to interactions were videotaped by the interviewee while the virtual interactions were saved online.
The results concluded that task conflicts were greater when it comes to the virtual teams as compared to the face to face teams that fully supported the hypothesis. Furthermore, task conflicts were greater in negotiations than idea generation tasks. Even though negotiation tasks increased conflict differences between virtual and face-to-face negotiations, the findings were non-significant.
The study also examined if the team type and task type would allow interaction to impact performance and team member satisfaction level. The result found that virtual teams and the negotiation tasks produced higher task conflict which had significant implications for the managements. While managing the various teams, resolving disputes in the teams and overseeing tasks, the managers wished to elicit higher team participation and differing viewpoints in the groups which might benefit from the virtual team rather than the face-to-face teams. The research concluded that virtual teams can perform better than the face to face teams.
Gera, S., Aneeshkumar, G. S., Fernandez, S. P., Gireeshkumar, G. S., Nze, I. C., & Eze, U. F. (2013). Virtual teams versus face to face teams: A review of the literature. IOSR Journal of Business and Management, 11(2), 1-4.
The significant progress in the communication technology has offered new opportunities for our organizations to develop newer forms of teams like virtual teams to replace the traditional teams. This is because of the real time and flexibility of time in communication that removes some communication barriers in dispersed teams. The researchers assert that particular challenges like trust, conflict and cohesion add to the existing complexity of the various teams. Previous researches did claim the success nature of a virtual team in relation to particular outcomes like performance. The existence of conflicts, lack of cohesion has also resulted in the diverse nature of virtual teams.
The main aim of the study was to review earlier researchers work on the importance of the virtual team in comparison to the traditional face-to-face team and gain a better understanding of the realities between virtual and face-to-face teams. Face-to-face teams operate in close physical proximity and always work under the same roof while virtual teams on the other side are physically separated and rely on technologies like electronic mail, telephones, and groupware for communication and exchange of information. Additionally, virtual teams are more sophisticated as compared to the face to face teams since they cross boundaries related to time and distance, and they apply electronic technological means to communicate.
According to the article by Gera et. al (2013), virtual teams are described by demerits like slow feedback systems, lack of emotions and audio contact. The virtual team task is highly structured and is coordinated by the team members who are difficult to cope with in virtual teams as compared to face-to-face teams. The article also asserts that the virtual teams face a lot of complexity, restricted communication and invisibility as compared to the face to face team. This happens due to cultural differences, language, and diversity. Differences in culture influence information sharing between the virtual and face-to-face teams.
Iacono, C. S., & Weisband, S. (2003). Developing trust in virtual teams. In System Sciences, 1997, Proceedings of the Thirtieth Hawaii International Conference on (Vol. 2, pp. 412-420). IEEE.
The recent attention to virtual organization suggests that temporary, distributed and global teams have become increasingly common in almost all organizations. Virtual teams in the organizations work closely together for the shorter time available and learn from each other while performing specific tasks. However, the face-to-face contract is more costly or impossible most of the time. One main problem when it comes to temporary electronic teams is the conversion of individual skills and efforts into more dependable work product within the same period of time while at the same scenario using computer-based communication technologies to operate their work.
To accomplish work, in the same way, various teams need to reduce their uncertainties about one another through operations that encourage trust. The study examined how trust is developed in temporary virtual teams and compared with that of face-to-face teams, particularly how virtual teams quickly develop and maintain the interpersonal working. From the collected information, high levels of trust were achieved in teams that engaged in continuous and frequent interaction amongst the members. Virtual teams were self-organized and often handled various issues in the organization in an absolute manner.
The report makes a conclusive statement that when team members are more committed to the organization activities and continue interacting with their team, they are easily able to prove their identity with group goals, high levels of trust and hence improved performance in the entire organization. Temporary teams that used electronic communication systems in the coordination of their activities need to comprehend how trust is developed in the virtual teams as the organizations move to newer forms of electronic work. In this case, Iacono & Weisband(2003) agrees that it is easier to develop trust in virtual teams as compared to the face to face team.
Johnson, S. D., Suriya, C., Yoon, S. W., Berrett, J. V., & La Fleur, J. (2002). Team development and group processes of virtual learning teams. Computers & Education, 39(4), 379-393.
In the start of the 21st century, organizations faced various challenges from increased globalization and technological changes which continued to be the primary factor towards maintaining a competitive advantage. At the same time, they also recognized the need to focus on the technical knowledge and workforce skills. Many organizations formed virtual teams which were geographically distributed to collaborate on the various workplace tasks. However, the major question that arose was the effectiveness of the virtual teams as compared to the face to face teams that were traditionally used in various organizations. For this reason, Johnson et al. (2002) conducted a study to describe the community developm...
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