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Communication
and Trust in Global Virtual Teams
Jarvenpaa, S.L.,
& Leidner, D.E. (1998). Communication and trust in global
virtual
| teams.
Special Issue of Organization Science and the Journal of
Computer- Mediated Communication on Virtual Organizations. |
Trusting your virtual
organizational members halfway around the globe.
This paper discusses trust, its definitions and how it is developed
within a group setting, specifically in global virtual teams.
It looks at how trust is established in such groups that are
cross-cultural and how cultural differences can affect the
communication behaviors that are extended to such group members.
Swift trust is a form of trust that forms in these teams that are
temporary, have a finite life span that is based on the formation of
the group around a specific task and communicate electronically.
Swift trust is also compared in these global virtual team settings
to face to face teams.
A study was performed in order to
look more closely at these aspects of trust within global virtual
teams. The study was made up of self-managing teams comprised
of members who were each from a different country. These teams
had to complete three tasks within a period of time and their only
practical method of communication was computer mediated
communication, which meant that these global virtual teams
transcended time, space and culture in their communication with
members. Their grade for a course was based on their success
of completing a final project within these teams and they were
further motivated with a $600 award to the team with the highest
performance.
The results of this study suggest
that such global virtual teams may experience swift trust and that
it is established most likely in the first few initial instances of
communication with members. Responsive communication was
important in such groups to express commitment, excitement and
optimism. Trust was found to be maintained when communication
was task oriented and could be strengthened through social
communication that complemented, but did not substitute for, this
task-oriented communication.
Nine different communication
behaviors were displayed among members that were found to facilitate
trust early in the project/group life. These included:
1. Social communication
2. Communication conveying enthusiasm
3. Coping with technical and task uncertainty
4. Individual initiative
5. Predictable communication
6. Substantive and timely response
7. Leadership
8. Transition from procedural to task focus
9. Phlegmatic reaction to crisis
Also, because communication occurred via electronic means, members
perceived each other as more similar and cultural differences were
not as obvious.
This article was very informative
and interesting to read. It has some important implications
for the future as globalization continues at a rapid pace and
organizations look to expanding their knowledge base and competing
in an increasingly global market. Global virtual teams allow
for people to communicate through time, space and culture and it may
dominate in allowing the best people with the most pertinent core
competencies to the task at hand communicate in the years to come.
By applying these techniques, high-impact leaders
develop the relationships that facilitate future exchanges. Powerful
Conversation become habit.
This summary draws primarily from the following
text:
Harkins, P. (1999). Powerful Conversations: How
High-Impact Leaders Communicate. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
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