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The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of an in‐depth case study into virtual teamworking practices in a large petro‐chemical company.

By drawing on the case study the paper offers a theoretical conceptualization of the development of commitment and personal trust relationships in a virtual teamworking context.

The paper argues that the durability of virtual teamworking depends largely on commitment and personal trust relationships, which may gradually dissipate over time without collocated, face‐to‐face social interactions. The virtual teamworking technologies alone may have limited scope in contributing to reproduction and reinforcement of commitment and personal trust relationships.

This research is based on an investigation in one organization that used a set of virtual teamworking technologies, which have been constantly improving in terms of capabilities and usability. In a business context investigated in this paper, the team working was not continuous, and the level and the range of activities varied over time. Future research should seek to explore whether personal and abstract trust can develop through continued online interaction.

Findings indicate that virtual teams should seek to manage expectations of the use of such technologies in their interactions. Human relationships, rather than technologies are therefore important for nurturing both personal and impersonal trust relationships, which is vital for durable virtual teams.

This paper argues that the long‐term virtual teamworking without face‐to‐face social interactions leads to a gradual dissipation of personal trust relationships, and subsequently loss of impersonal trust relations.

This paper explores how consulting can contribute to the success of virtual teamwork. Based on an introduction to the concept of virtual teams, the potential of virtual teamwork for consultants and clients is outlined. Central questions are: “For which reasons do virtual teams deserve additional attention by business leaders?” and “What kind of services can be offered by consultants that cannot be performed by the client organisation itself?”. The paper finishes with a discussion of the qualifications and resources consultants should possess if they wish to consult on virtual teamwork, highlighting the broad range of requirements and the need to accumulate extensive experience.

Data was obtained from students from 39 universities in 24 countries, part of a large experiential exercise, X-Culture, who worked remotely in cross-cultural teams to solve business problems. The purpose of this study is to develop and test, using structural equation modeling, a conceptual model that identifies the determinants of satisfaction with teamwork.

Data was obtained from participants, students from universities from 39 universities in 24 countries, in a large experiential exercise, X-Culture, who worked remotely in cross-cultural teams to solve business problems. A conceptual model that identifies determinants of satisfaction with teamwork was developed and tested using structural equation modeling.

Satisfaction with teamwork is related to cultural intelligence (CQ), team identity and team climate. Interestingly, CQ of individual team members does not directly impact satisfaction with teamwork. Team identification and team climate, variables that require personal engagement and goodwill, mediate the effects of CQ on satisfaction.

Results suggest that team identification and team climate are important antecedents and explanatory mechanisms for developing satisfaction with teamwork. Having culturally intelligent team members is a necessary, but insufficient condition for satisfying teamwork. Therefore, to increase satisfaction with global virtual teamwork, teams need more than simply culturally intelligent team members. Increased satisfaction requires that team members identify with their team and develop a favorable team climate. The authors suggest education recommendations for global virtual teams.

This chapter offers descriptions of many current uses of video conferencing technology for the delivery of assistive technology (AT) services at a distance. It begins with definitions of remote AT services, virtual teams and virtual teamwork and moves to a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of remote AT supports for individuals, teams and organisations. A review of research regarding the outcomes of remote services helps to clarify ways that assistive technology providers can enhance function and build agency capacity by working, at least in part, in a virtual support environment. The chapter provides a discussion of various aspects of virtual teamwork that affects how individuals work together remotely as well as potential barriers to the provision of remote AT services. Multiple examples are provided throughout as well as descriptions of specific features of video conference technology options that should be considered before adoption. A planning form for the integration of remote assistive technology supports into the array of AT support services is included.

Social virtual reality (SVR) has emerged as a solution for the facilitation of remote and distributed teamwork, promising to overcome challenges faced in virtual 2D communication channels. The purpose of this study is to systematically review empirical articles dealing with the application of SVR with head-mounted displays (HMDs) in teams.

This study reviewed 40 empirical papers on teamwork that address the application of SVR using HMD in teams. The authors present results from the extracted data and identify themes that indicate the current state of research in this field.

Based on data obtained from the journal articles, the authors identified three themes underlying current research. They are features and applications of SVR technology, collaboration dynamics and team performance in SVR and educational and professional training and learning. The results show that SVR enhances team collaboration and collaborative learning.

SVR can aid in improving teamwork and team outcomes. In its current stage, SVR is complementary to 2D technology and not likely to replace traditional tools. Findings suggest that the technology is promising for collaboration and learning in organisations, especially in collaborative design tasks and simulations.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is one of the first studies to look at research emerging from the nascent area of SVR and summarise the current state of research. This study provides managerial implications and identifies future research areas for SVR in teamwork and learning.

This paper is the second of a three‐part series in which the authors identify best practice for implementing virtual teamworking to aid concurrent engineering. Part 1 examined how five key texts on virtual teamworking contribute to an understanding of how to introduce virtual working to enable concurrent engineering. It developed a structure for comparing and contrasting the texts for this purpose. In Part 2, four general areas of concern are identified from these texts. The authors suggest five other issues, derived from other texts and practical experience important to concurrent engineering involving the supply chain. Part 3 will then synthesise the key elements of a methodology for introducing virtual teaming in a design and manufacture supply chain utilising concurrent engineering.

VIBu – Virtual Teams in International Business – is the name of a training concept, which is aimed at familiarizing participants with collaborating in a virtual environment. Based on the online business simulation RealGame™, participants are assigned to multicultural virtual teams that represent different companies. These companies are either competing with or depending on each other in typical business processes of an internationally operating manufacturing company. Interaction and negotiation are required throughout the whole simulation. All communication takes place via information and communication technology, mainly Skype and Skype chat. The main challenge in the environment is that participants are located in different countries and time zones all over the world. The book chapter first outlines some of the challenges of global teamwork that organizations face. We argue that students need to learn how to navigate in global teams before they leave university as they are bound to become involved in organizational global teamwork sooner rather than later. We draw on frameworks for experiential learning (e.g., Kolb's learning model, Kolb, 1984) and the constructivist learning paradigm (Lainema, 2009) to outline the learning experiences that students need to gather in order to become effective global team members. In addition, we highlight the potential for learner engagement that this approach offers. The chapter concludes by highlighting the key learning and teaching outcomes from incorporating this cutting-edge simulation technology. Furthermore, we direct the reader's attention to ways in which the simulation can be used for research purposes, international inter-university collaborations, and multidisciplinary research on teaching practices and engaged learning.

This paper aims to report on a qualitative comparative case study of coordination in three ongoing research and development projects, each conducted by teams working virtually across multiple, geographically dispersed sites and involving varying degrees of task uncertainty at differing stages on an innovation continuum, from basic fundamental research to scale-up and commercial development.

This study investigated characteristics of effective virtual innovation teamwork, primarily using structured interviews, observation and a limited number of surveys. The analysis was based upon Pava’s (1983) methodology of sociotechnical systems (STS) for non-linear work and was used to assess the influence of virtuality and task uncertainty on the quality of team deliberations and the knowledge development barriers experienced at the various stages on the innovation continuum.

The study identified different technical and social coordination mechanisms and their impact in mitigating knowledge barriers for differing levels of task uncertainty. Technical elements, many based in digital information technology, appeared most significant for coordination where task uncertainty and ambiguity were low. However, with high task uncertainty, the most significant mechanisms were closely tied to the formal and informal social systems of virtual organization.

The key implication for future research is the development of further applications to evaluate this coordination model for modern teamwork in virtual contexts.

The findings extend previous theory about coordination of innovation to include fundamental research and virtual collaboration. Based on the results, a four-step STS methodology for design of virtual team coordination mechanisms was developed and piloted successfully by scientific teams at a prominent North American research laboratory.

This research project has shown that modern STS methodology, updated for non-routine work in a virtual context, can provide a way to assess and mitigate “coordination costs” associated with virtual teamwork. Further, it has identified clear categories of coordination mechanisms that are most effective when teams are working at different stages in the innovation process.

The design, manufacture and delivery of a product requires ever‐higher levels of knowledge and expertise within the supply chain. If concurrent engineering (CE) in tiered supply chains is to be fully implemented, a practical CE strategy needs to recognise that successful, concurrent designs are built on rich relationships amongst all parties. Virtual teaming is the most appropriate framework and mechanism in which to examine how such relationships can be created across a distributed supply chain, with members separated geographically. In principle, virtual teaming could allow joint commitment, feelings of mutuality, trust and creativity, and rapid decision making to operate within a supply chain. For this to be possible, a virtual team needs to be built by concentrating on process, teaming and technology factors. However, experience from other IT‐based initiatives is that technology will be concentrated on to the exclusion of other factors. Data from the two sources support this contention.

In the 21st century team working increasingly requires online cooperative skills as well as more traditional skills associated with face to face team working. Virtual team working differs from face to face team working in a number of respects, such as interpreting the alternatives to visual cues, adapting to synchronous communication, developing trust and cohesion and cultural interpretations. However, co‐located student teams working within higher education can only simulate team working as it might be experienced in organisations today. For example, students can learn from their mistakes in a non‐threatening environment, colleagues tend to be established friends and assessing teamwork encourages behaviour such as “free‐riding”. Using a prototyping approach, which involves students and tutors, a system has been designed to support learners engaged in team working. This system helps students to achieve to their full potential and appreciate issues surrounding virtual teamwork. The Guardian Agent system enables teams to allocate project tasks and agree ground rules for the team according to individuals’ preferences. Results from four cycles of its use are presented, together with modifications arising from iterations of testing. The results show that students find the system useful in preparing for team working, and have encouraged further development of the system.