Virtual Teams and the Importance of Building Trust

Trust in the workplace is both an ethical and a management issue. Virtual teams have become common in IT, but the importance of building trust in such teams is often under-appreciated. In this installment of IT Ethics, the authors look at several definitions and theories of trust and their application in virtual IT teams. The human dimensions of virtual teams are a crucial factor in their chances of success. Both for the project´s sake-and for the participants´ - the issue of trust should be a central concern. As virtual teams become the norm, such teams will require additional effort in creative trust-building activities.