Building effective work teams by phone, fax, and modem

Keywords: trust, virtual work teams, team effectivenessJEL: D23 & O15Abstract: This empiric research has virtual work teams as the object of study with their relation with trust as dependent variable to obtain an effective work of individuals who form the team. It has, as independent variables three factors that are thought appropriate for building trust: web conferencing, timely information, and cultural diversity. It is an exploratory and descriptive work with mixed focus. There were established four descriptive hypothesis that, search the communication level, the existence of timely information and the identification of cultural diversity within virtual work teams. This work verified the existence of trust in virtual work teams, proved that the independent variables generate it, and the established hypothesis are correct. It was designed an original instrument for its application to a population of 23 students of a master degree virtual educative program in a private university of Monterrey, Nuevo León. On the instrument questions related to trust and the three appropriate factors for trust building were included. Future researches are possible; even so, this work includes theoretical and practical contributions. It contains innovation in its literature and functionality to the organizational world by helping to understand the new configurations of work done by human resources, their perfection in methods, and working habits in a global environment of geographical and temporal separationPalabras clave: confianza, equipos de trabajo virtuales, efectividad del equipo,JEL: D23 & O15Resumen. La presente investigación empírica, tiene como objeto de estudio los equipos de trabajo virtuales y su relación con la confianza como variable dependiente para el funcionamiento efectivo de los individuos de quienes lo conforman. Se tiene como variables independientes tres factores que se piensa son idóneos para generar confianza: conferencia web, información oportuna y diversidad cultural. Es un trabajo del tipo exploratorio y descriptivo con un enfoque mixto. Fueron establecidas cuatro hipótesis descriptivas, las cuales buscan el nivel de comunicación, la existencia de información oportuna y la identificación de diversidad cultural dentro de los equipos de trabajo virtuales. El trabajo verificó la existencia de la confianza en un equipo de trabajo virtual, comprobó que las variables independientes la generan y que las hipótesis descriptivas establecidas son correctas. Se diseñó un instrumento original para su aplicación a una población de 23 estudiantes de un programa educativo de maestría en línea en una universidad privada de Monterrey, Nuevo León. En el instrumento se incluyen preguntas relacionadas con la confianza y los tres factores idóneos para la generación de la misma. Los resultados fueron de utilidad para resolver positivamente las hipótesis aquí obtenidas. Futuras investigaciones son posibles. El trabajo contiene aportaciones teóricas y prácticas, al contener innovación en su literatura y funcionalidad para el mundo organizacional ayudando a comprender las nuevas configuraciones del trabajo realizado por los recursos humanos, su perfección en los métodos y costumbres de trabajo en un ambiente mundial de separación geográfica y temporal.

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Small Group Research in Europe

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027//1016-9040.7.4.265 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 265-274 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Francisco Gil Rodríguez ◽

Carlos María Alcover de la Hera

Keyword(s):

Social Psychology ◽

Work Teams ◽

Rapid Development ◽

Spanish History ◽

Organizational Contexts ◽

Scarce Resources ◽

Long Period ◽

Group Research ◽

Important Field ◽

Scientific Results

After a long period of scarce resources and a long delay in new scientific results suffered as a consequence of recent Spanish history, research concerning groups has experienced a rapid development over the last 15 years of the 20th century—the result of the late but then clear institutionalization of psychology into university structure. Although most research has been carried out at the very heart of social psychology and along the traditional lines of the field, a significant growth in the study of groups and work teams in organizational contexts can now be highlighted, coinciding with the tendency detected internationally during the last years. Beyond the normalization of group research in Spain, it is necessary to point out its excessive dependency in both theory and methodology on models and tools elaborated throughout North America and Europe. The present review closes with the proposal of creating a European formative curriculum for group psychologists in order to unify and promote research within this active and important field of psychology.

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