Enhancing Global Project Team Effectiveness by Understanding IT Global Project Team Trust

Despite improvements in communications technology and global project management, many global IT project teams (GPT) continue to miss their stated objectives, and some even fail. Previous research has provided evidence that mistrust among team members is a contributing factor. The research problem addressed in this study was how trust can be improved on GPTs which could lead to a significant improvement in the success rate of major international projects. Global corporations could benefit from this study by adding a focus on developing mutual trust that could lead to improved GPT success rates, thereby reducing time and cost overruns. The purposes of this study were to (a) identify causes of GPT mistrust; and (b) identify proactive mistrust prevention measures. The specific research questions that guided this study focused on (a) the causes of team mistrust; (b) how to identify potential trust violators; and (c) prevention methods that can maintain GPT trust. The methodology selected was the qualitative case study, grounded in the swift trust theory. Pertinent data were obtained through the use of an online questionnaire. The data analysis consisted of (a) data interpretation; (b) aggregation; (c) and the categorization of the responses from a sampling of 21 successful GPT cases. The results of the findings yielded five points for proactive trust improvement. The top two were identified as continuous open/honest communication and continuous management support/focus on project objectives. Implications for positive social change may be realized by (a) improving personal and professional relationships; (b) fostering cultural tolerance; and (c) increasing corporate resources dedicated for other social, cultural, and environmental endeavours within local and international communities.