for Teachers for Schools for Enterprise
for Teachers for Schools for Enterprise
Course Navigator
Team Building Activities for Virtual TeamsNext Lesson 

Building Trust in Virtual Teams

Chapter 2 /  Lesson 6   Transcript
Try it risk-free for 30 days

An error occurred trying to load this video.

Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support.

Coming up next: Team Building Activities for Virtual Teams

You're on a roll. Keep up the good work!

Take Quiz Watch Next Lesson
 Replay
Your next lesson will play in 10 seconds
  • 0:03 What Is a Virtual Team?
  • 0:30 Benefits and Challenges
  • 1:31 How to Build Trust
  • 4:16 Lesson Summary
Add to Add to Add to

Want to watch this again later?

Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course.

Login or Sign up

Timeline
Autoplay
Autoplay
Speed

Recommended Courses for You

Lesson Transcript
Instructor: Tonya Brewer
Trust is essential for teams of employees, and virtual teams can build a foundation of trust just as any non-virtual team can. In this lesson, we'll discuss the benefits and challenges of virtual teams as well as the methods for building trust.

What Is a Virtual Team?

A virtual team is a team whose members interact primarily through electronic communications. Rather than using traditional face-to-face communication, members of these teams rely on email, phone calls, teleconferences, virtual meetings, and so forth. The team members could be close in distance or far away. As technology continues to advance, electronic communications become increasingly prominent in business settings.

Benefits and Challenges

Companies can benefit greatly from using virtual teams. Perhaps the greatest benefit is the huge cost savings that can come with virtual teams. Employees working from different parts of the world no longer have to travel long distances to collaborate on projects and attend meetings, thereby cutting travel expenses. Businesses also don't have to pay for relocation costs, and they can avoid operational costs that come with supplying an office, utilities, and other necessities for a physical work setting.

There are also challenges that come with virtual teams. Members generally must be self-motivated, be able to work independently, and have very strong communication skills. Another major demand among virtual teams is a strong foundation of trust. After all, these employees must work closely with people they may not have even met in person before. Though important to the success of the team, building and maintaining trust can be a challenge. Let's explore ways of building trust in the following section.

How to Build Trust

Overcoming the challenges associated with virtual teams can be difficult, but one of the most effective ways to encourage collaboration and productivity is by enhancing a sense of trust. Consider these tools for building trust among virtual team members:

1. Create Team Member Profiles

A virtual team lacks the face-to-face conversations and nonverbal cues that come with traditional, in-person teams. One way to help put a face to the name is to have members fill out personal profiles for themselves. Each profile might include:

  • A picture
  • A bio including details about the person's life, such as pets, kids, hobbies, favorite foods, and so forth.
  • The best time and way to contact the person

These profiles allow team members to learn more about each other, recognize their shared interests, and be more open to trusting the people on their team.

To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account

Register to view this lesson

Are you a student or a teacher?

Unlock Your Education

See for yourself why 30 million people use Study.com

Become a Study.com member and start learning now.
Become a Member  Back
What teachers are saying about Study.com
Try it risk-free for 30 days
Description

Earning College Credit

Did you know… We have over 160 college courses that prepare you to earn credit by exam that is accepted by over 1,500 colleges and universities. You can test out of the first two years of college and save thousands off your degree. Anyone can earn credit-by-exam regardless of age or education level.

To learn more, visit our Earning Credit Page

Transferring credit to the school of your choice

Not sure what college you want to attend yet? Study.com has thousands of articles about every imaginable degree, area of study and career path that can help you find the school that's right for you.

Research Schools, Degrees & Careers

Get the unbiased info you need to find the right school.

Browse Articles By Category

Browse an area of study or degree level.

Recommended Articles
You are viewing lesson Lesson 6 in chapter 2 of the course:

 Back To Course

Building a Virtual Team

3 chapters | 19 lessons

Ch 2. Building Cohesive Teams in a Virtual...
Ch 3. Success & Challenges of Teams in a...

Building Trust in Virtual Teams Related Study Materials

Create an account to start this course today
Try it risk-free for 30 days!
Create An Account

Explore our library of over 75,000 lessons

Browse by subject
Support