Introduction
Management scholars agree with the proposition that teams are the primary unit of
performance in any organization (Samson and Daft, 2003). During the 1990s, a new
team process emerged – virtual teams or virtual teaming (Furst et al., 2004). Since the
mid-1990s, the concept of virtual teaming has evolved. Today, organizations capable of
rapidly creating teams of talented people who can respond to the needs of their
customer are destined for success in the competitive and complex global economy of
today (Kankanhalli et al., 2007).
Forward-thinking companies have readily embraced the underlying principles of
virtual teaming, enabling such organizations to become agile and compete more
robustly in the global market place (Jungalwalla, 2000). Virtual teaming is, however,
something no one really planned methodically – rather, it developed because the
appropriate supporting technology became available. Technological applications
allowed team operations to move beyond face-to-face situations to teleconferences and
on to virtual conferences. However, to what extent are today’s virtual teams different
from the traditional notion of a team? In addition, what benefits and problems arise as
a consequence of the creation of virtual formations?
Geography, national culture, language and time are at the crux of developing virtual