Challenges in Norm Formation and Adherence The Knowledge, Skills, and Ability Requirements of Virtual and Traditional Cross-Cultural Teams

Due to the growing globalization of business processes, teamwork increasingly requires intercultural skills. Furthermore, many teams rely predominantly on electronic collaboration (virtual teams), requiring team members to develop and adhere to norms in a cue-deprived environment. In the current study, we conducted an online survey with 171 participants who fell into one of two subgroups of cross-cultural teams: members of either traditional or virtual teams. We compared the two groups of team members with regard to their importance ratings of several competencies for team performance. Starting with a large set of intercultural competencies derived from the literature, exploratory factor analyses yielded a four-dimensional solution (working conscientiously, coping with stress and ambiguity, openness and perspective taking, and knowledge about other cultures). Among those clusters, only the cluster working conscientiously yielded substantial differences between traditional and virtual-team members, indicating specific requirements for cross-cultural collaboration for virtual as compared to traditional teams.