Virtual Teams

Question 1

IT and Social Behavior

Answer 1

Reduced Status Differences - Weak Get Strong Effect
Equalization of Participation
Increased Time to Make Decisions

Question 2

Information Suppression

Answer 2

Lower frequency of communication in CMC groups

Question 3

Flaming Effect

Answer 3

CMC lowers inhibition and leads to greater expression of personal opinions, including use of personal insults and profanity

Question 4

IT and Risk Taking

Answer 4

Virtual teams are risk seeking for both gains and losses

Question 5

IT and Social Norms

Answer 5

In absence of social norms that prescribe the expression of positive emotion, people are more likely to express negative emotion

Question 6

IT and Decision Quality

Answer 6

CMC groups make better decisions as long as the outcome of the decision is not heavily dependent on information exchange

Question 7

IT and Trust/Rapport

Answer 7

Trust and rapport build more slowly on CMC teams

Question 8

Threats to Virtual Teams

Answer 8

Physical distance and asynchronous aspect of communication may dampen effort
Teams may not make best use of actual talents of members
Virtual team members may have less knowledge about members’ task-relevant knowledge/skills
Confusion in coordinating meetings

Question 9

Strategies for improving virtual teamwork

Answer 9

Improve technology
Boundary Objects
Initial Face-to-Face experience
Schmoozing

Question 10

Boundary Objects

Answer 10

Documents and shared vocabulary that allow people from different teams, organizations, and cultures to build a shared understanding

Question 11

Schmoozing

Answer 11

Contact between people that has the psychological effect of having established a relationship with someone

Question 12

Virtual Handshake

Answer 12

Exchange of some basic personal information that makes team members like each other more