Issues of Communication, Power and Trust in Multicultural Virtual Teams: Success Factors of Semi-virtual Teams

Virtual and semi-virtual teams have been suggested as alternative methods for dealing with multi-cultural, multi-location coordination when face-to-face teams are too costly or not possible. However, these methods have not been as successful as expected. This study investigates several factors that may affect multicultural semi-virtual team performance: Communications processes, technology, individual team member characteristics, and team or group characteristics. This study shows that teams tend to underestimate the difficulty of working in semi-virtual teams due to time and cultural differences; that use of rich technology such as video conferencing may bridge gaps between displaced groups; and reliance on lean technology such as email and instant messaging does not necessarily build trust.