Building and Maintaining Business Relationships in a Virtual Environment

In this chapter the authors propose a framework based on team characteristics to assess the trust requirements in virtual team-based organisations. They start off by looking at what is meant by new forms of organisation and the drivers for new forms by reviewing relevant literature. They proceed to an examination of factors impacting on the effective working of the virtual organisation emphasising the role of virtual teams in such organisations. This leads to a discussion of the reliance on trust rather than on management through control systems and processes. It is then recognised that there is considerable diversity in the form and purpose of virtual teams. This leads to the development of a conceptual framework for assessing the need for trust for a team to be effective rather than managerial processes and control mechanisms. Finally, areas for further research and exploration are put forward.