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Building effective virtual teams: How to overcome the problems of trust and identity in virtual teams

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  • Chris Kimble

    (Euromed Marseille - École de management - Association Euromed Management - Marseille, MRM - Montpellier Research in Management - UM1 - Université Montpellier 1 - UPVM - Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 - UM2 - Université Montpellier 2 - Sciences et Techniques - UPVD - Université de Perpignan Via Domitia - Groupe Sup de Co Montpellier (GSCM) - Montpellier Business School)

Abstract

This article explores some of the challenges faced when managing virtual teams, in particular the role played by trust and identity in virtual teams. It outlines why teams and virtual teams have become a valuable part of the modern organization and presents ten short case studies that illustrate the range of activities in which virtual teams can be found. Following this, the article examines some of the common problems encountered in virtual team working. It discusses two broad classes of solutions. The first are solutions that are essentially technical in nature (i.e., where changes to or improvements in technology would help to solve or ameliorate the problem); the second are more organizationally based (i.e., where the root of the problem is in people and how they are managed). The article concludes that both the technical and the organizational solutions need to be considered in parallel if an attempt to build an effective virtual team is to be successful.

Suggested Citation

  • Chris Kimble, 2010. "Building effective virtual teams: How to overcome the problems of trust and identity in virtual teams," Post-Print halshs-00550219, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-00550219
    DOI: 10.1002/joe.20364
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00550219
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa & Dorothy E. Leidner, 1999. "Communication and Trust in Global Virtual Teams," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 10(6), pages 791-815, December.
    2. Kimble, Chris & Grenier, Corinne & Goglio-Primard, Karine, 2010. "Innovation and knowledge sharing across professional boundaries: Political interplay between boundary objects and brokers," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 437-444.
    3. Chris Kimble & Paul Hildreth, 2005. "Dualities, Distributed Communities of Practice and Knowledge Management," Post-Print halshs-00492436, HAL.
    4. Ribeiro, Richard & Kimble, Chris & Cairns, Paul, 2010. "Quantum phenomena in Communities of Practice," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 21-27.
    5. Chris Kimble & Alexis Barlow & Feng Li, 2005. "Effective Virtual Teams through Communities of Practice," Industrial Organization 0504006, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa & Thomas R. Shaw & D. Sandy Staples, 2004. "Toward Contextualized Theories of Trust: The Role of Trust in Global Virtual Teams," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 15(3), pages 250-267, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Chris Kimble, 2015. "Business Models for E-Health: Evidence From Ten Case Studies," Post-Print halshs-01159742, HAL.
    2. Chris Kimble, 2014. "Electronic Health Records: Cure-all or Chronic Condition?," Post-Print hal-00985175, HAL.

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    Keywords

    virtual teams; trust; identity;
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