No abstract

Research on virtual groups reflects concerns about the development of trust and liking and about the performance of partners who do not see each other or workproximally. Previous studies have explored behaviors leading to subjectively experienced trust and/or liking, or trusting behaviors associated with group output, but have not linked behaviors, subjective affect, and output quality. Deriving principles from the social information processing theory of computer-mediated communication, this research identified and tested six communication rules for virtual groups. Employing a quasi-experimental procedure to maximize the variance in rule-following behavior, some distributed groups in a cross-university course were assigned to follow rules as part of their grades on group assignments conducted using computer-mediated communication from which messages were collected and later coded. Through self-reported measures of rule following and affect, results reveal correlations between each rule with trust and liking. Less consistent are the relationships between rule following, specific observed behaviors, and actual performance quality. Interpretations suggest that a powerful set of collaboration rules has been identified or that the mere following of any rules and norms reduces uncertainty and enhances trust in distributed work teams.A surge of research and increasing adoption of distributed groups in various settings indicate the growing reach of virtual teams. Understanding the promise and problems of these entities can inform contemporary theory in the areas of new technology and group communication and improve the management of distributed groups, learning communities, and virtual organizations.