| Virtual teams are comprised of members from various locations who use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for member interaction. Many organizations have accepted virtual teams as an alternative to face-to-face teams. With the acceptance comes many challenges, one of those challenges is supporting team sharing in the virtual environment. The purpose of this qualitative, case study was to explore the perceptions, experiences, and contexts under which virtual team members adapt ICT for knowledge sharing to accomplish knowledge sharing more efficiently and effectively. This qualitative case study included data from interviews, a questionnaire, and meeting minutes from participants who had at least two years of virtual team experience. The coding and categorizing of the data revealed six themes that addressed the two research questions. The themes included knowledge sharing situations occur for specific functional purposes, issues with technology had an impact on knowledge sharing situations, teammates' behaviors impact the knowledge sharing experiences, team members' experiences with choosing technology for knowledge sharing centered around who they were sharing with, what were they sharing, and what was available. Certain functional aspects of the technology prompted its adaption for knowledge sharing, and certain tools/technology were dominant in the teams. Findings from this study showed both positive and negative experiences regarding knowledge sharing within virtual teams. The team members were resilient in their determination to get work accomplished but at times the knowledge sharing was not as high a priority as the work tasks. The lack of priority as well as technical and policy issues contributed to team members having to accept an ineffective sharing environment at times. |
