Communication and cohesiveness in global virtual teams

This research had the objective of answering the following question: what are the salient constructs of time that relate to cohesiveness within global virtual teams, that is, which constructs stand at center stage and what are their potential relationships to cohesiveness? To answer these questions, an exploratory study was conducted using the methods of within-case analysis, cross-case analysis, and quantitative analysis of survey data. Masters students participated in a global virtual collaboration. Fifty teams of four to six members each resulted in a total of 244 masters students from 19 universities located in 17 countries. Each team member attended a different university, and in most instances, lived in different countries. The theoretical basis for the study was drawn from social psychology studies on groups and from the communication literature on temporal cues in both the nonverbal and verbal domain.; In this study, the most important use of time appeared to be in creating an atmosphere of virtual immediacy. In a virtual context, chronemic immediacy appears to be created through a fast pace of communication and through no or few pauses in communication. Linguistic immediacy appears to be created in a virtual context when approach-oriented language and pace-oriented language is used. The level of virtual immediacy seems directly related to cohesiveness; however, the pattern of communication can moderate that relationship. Specifically, when teams comprise members who do not communicate equally and in a consistent pattern, and remind the team of that deviance, then the team becomes less cohesive, regardless of the immediacy established by the core team.; A model of communication and cohesiveness which integrates the constructs and relationships is proposed.