Virtual teams: cultural adaptation, communication quality, and interpersonal trust

Virtual teams are commonly formed in all industries and in a variety of areas. How the members adapt to the team culture when participating in a virtual team and how the adaptation affects communication quality and facilitates interpersonal trust within the team are important issues of coordination among the diverse members of a team. Thus, this study proposed a model using human- and technology-related factors to explain the phenomenon. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed. After the case study approach, academic and practical perspectives were both taken into consideration. The results of quantitative analysis revealed that both cultural adaptation and interpersonal trust have positive effects on the performance of virtual teams. A significantly negative effect was found between communication quality and performance of virtual teams, which is inconsistent with the viewpoint of traditional teams. Finally, academic and practical implications were also provided.