Virtual Teams

Technology Mediation

One area of interest is the use and impact of communications technologies. The level of use of different types of technology depends on the resources available, the type of task, the level of interdependence required for the task, and the collaborators' preferences. The literature suggests that more complex tasks requiring a high level of interdependence, tasks in which misunderstandings are possible, and tasks in which emotions are involved benefit most from communications media that allow the transmission of more communication and social cues (i.e., rich media). The richest media enable the transmission of visual and verbal cues that aid understanding (e.g., nods, verbalizations such as “uhhuh”) and provide immediate feedback (i.e., the nod occurs immediately after the communicator's comment, indicating the point has been understood). The richest media, therefore, are face-to-face communications; video conferencing offers a possible alternative, although problems with sound and visual synchronization can make this technology less rich.

Text-based media such as e-mail are generally considered among the least rich technologies because many social and communication cues are missing and feedback (in the form of a reply) is typically delayed. These less rich media are more suitable when tasks are routine and less interdependent and when there is less danger of emotions or misunderstandings escalating. Research also suggests, however, that when such communications technologies are used for a longer period of time, people are able to transmit more complex information through them. For example, the rocket engine design team that Anne Majchrzak and colleagues (2000) studied was able to adapt to less rich media and use them for some complex and ambiguous tasks (such as generating and critiquing new ideas, learning about unfamiliar concepts, and understanding the design concerns of other team members) because there was a high level of shared understanding among team members that had been developed through previous face-to-face meetings.

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