Virtual teams

This paper describes some early results from observing and interviewing groups working to achieve intellectually complex tasks that required the use of computers, WWW and other research resources. Three groups were virtual (they were working at a distance and rarely meeting face to face) and two groups were simple control groups They were real groups (working in relatively close proximity so that face to face contact was possible most of the time). All five teams completed their tasks but a subjective assessment suggests that both the real teams performed better than the three Virtual Teams. The virtual groups appeared to take considerably longer to form and norm and all of the members of the virtual teams felt that limited time hindered their progress although the real teams did not feel this.