Virtual Collaboration: The Skills Needed to Collaborate in a Virtual Environment

Abstract

With support from the scholarly literature, the author of this paper argues that to succeed in virtual collaborative teams (VCTs) individuals need to have relationship building skills, which include the ability to establish trust, familiarity, a positive environment/context, and embracing diversity, as well as communication skills, which include the use of simple language, ambiguity, and knowledge sharing. The author of this paper further argues that individuals need collaboration skills, which include autonomy/delegation, motivation, adaptability, and innovation, as well as technological skills, which include the use of web collaboration technologies, and virtual worlds/avatars to engage in successful collaboration in virtual environments. In addition, this paper also argues that despite the many advantages of VCTs, many disadvantages to their use still exist.

The “virtual team player”

“…Media KSAOs Knowledge about functionalities of a medium; knowing how and when to use a medium; use the potential of the media; adapt to channel restrictions. Blackburn, Furst, & Rosen, 2003;Duarte & Snyder, 2006;Hill, 2008;Holtkamp, Lau, & Pawlowski, 2015;Kokko, Vartiainen, & Lö nnblad, 2007;Roy, 2012;Shin, 2004;Wang & Haggerty, 2011 Communication KSAOs Communicate effectively with dispersed team members; skillful knowledge sharing; send and interpret messages appropriately. Blackburn et al, 2003;Hertel et al, 2006;Hill, 2008;Holtkamp et al, 2015;Johnson, Heimann, & O'Neill, 2001;Kokko et al, 2007;Roy, 2012;Shin, 2004 Trust-related KSAOs Skills to develop and maintain interpersonal trust (e.g., responsiveness, dependability, active and frequent participation); disposition to trust.…”

“…Blackburn, Furst, & Rosen, 2003;Duarte & Snyder, 2006;Hill, 2008;Holtkamp, Lau, & Pawlowski, 2015;Kokko, Vartiainen, & Lö nnblad, 2007;Roy, 2012;Shin, 2004;Wang & Haggerty, 2011 Communication KSAOs Communicate effectively with dispersed team members; skillful knowledge sharing; send and interpret messages appropriately. Blackburn et al, 2003;Hertel et al, 2006;Hill, 2008;Holtkamp et al, 2015;Johnson, Heimann, & O'Neill, 2001;Kokko et al, 2007;Roy, 2012;Shin, 2004 Trust-related KSAOs Skills to develop and maintain interpersonal trust (e.g., responsiveness, dependability, active and frequent participation); disposition to trust. Blackburn et al, 2003;Hertel et al, 2006;Hill, 2008;Johnson et al, 2001;Kokko et al, 2007;Roy, 2012;Shin, 2004 Intercultural KSAOs Knowledge and skills that help to interact with people from different cultures (e.g., organizational, functional, national).…”

“…Blackburn et al, 2003;Hertel et al, 2006;Hill, 2008;Holtkamp et al, 2015;Johnson, Heimann, & O'Neill, 2001;Kokko et al, 2007;Roy, 2012;Shin, 2004 Trust-related KSAOs Skills to develop and maintain interpersonal trust (e.g., responsiveness, dependability, active and frequent participation); disposition to trust. Blackburn et al, 2003;Hertel et al, 2006;Hill, 2008;Johnson et al, 2001;Kokko et al, 2007;Roy, 2012;Shin, 2004 Intercultural KSAOs Knowledge and skills that help to interact with people from different cultures (e.g., organizational, functional, national). Blackburn et al, 2003;Duarte & Snyder, 2006;Hertel et al, 2006;Hill, 2008;Holtkamp et al, 2015;Kokko et al, 2007;Krumm, Kanthak, Hartmann, & Hertel, 2016;Shin, 2004 Self-management KSAOs The skill to manage oneself effectively (e.g., self-, time-, and projectmanagement).…”

The effects of national cultures on two technologically advanced countries: The case of e‐leadership in South Korea and the United States

“…By far the most productive area has been at the group level, where the team literature has provided the greatest amount and the most coherent insights about interaction strategies (e.g. Balthazard, Waldman, & Atwater, 2008; Kahai, Sosik, & Avolio, 2002), ‘trust’ in virtual environments (Rusman, Van Bruggen, Sloep, & Koper, 2010; Thomas & Bostrom, 2008), applied theory insights (Roy, 2012), as well as the numerous challenges to overcome (e.g. Hunsaker & Hunsaker, 2008).…”

Defining E‐leadership as Competence in ICT‐Mediated Communications: An Exploratory Assessment

“…Ease of communication should not lessen quality of communication. Miscommunication, such as accidental insults, is an issue in virtual environments (Roy ; Snellman ). Yet another issue is communication overload (Rennecker and Derks ), based on the ease of sending out messages electronically.…”