Global virtual teams

Global virtual teams (GVTs) are work groups composed of internationally distributed members who communicate primarily through electronic media. In globally operating firms, GVT have the important functions of completing distributed tasks, leveraging local expertise and resources, sharing knowledge internationally, and combining local responsiveness with global coordination. Whilst the term ‘global’ emphasises the wide geographic and national distribution of team members, GVTs have also been assigned other labels, including transnational, international virtual, and multicultural geographically distributed teams. Due to their dispersion, GVTs have to work across multiple boundaries. Team members collaborate across time zones, diverse socio-political contexts, nationalities, and organisational affiliations, which typically create boundaries in contextual knowledge, educational background, language, cultural values, norms, identities, and modes of sensemaking. Further, differences in language capability and national development can result in status and power differences. In complex global organisations, GVTs additionally tend to face unstable team membership and fluid team boundaries, sometimes spanning different organisations.