Title:
How Do Virtual Teams Work? Understanding Virtual Teams Process by
Content Analysis
Abstract: This paper describes a study to analyse the actual
processes involved when Virtual Teams (VTs) undertake specific group tasks.
Six VTs were established and communication was monitored through a discussion
board. The content was coded using the TEMPO system developed by Futoran
et al. (1989), and the communication pattern of each virtual team was analysed.
The inferences which can be drawn are: (1) groups with more discussion perform
better; (2) leadership plays an important role for group performance; (3)
groups with a specific pattern of communication have higher performance;
(4) groups with a mix of work and social conversation have improved levels
of performance.
Authors: Ying-Chieh Liu, Janice Burn,
and Susan Stoney