Evaluating Processes and Performance in Virtual Teams

The challenges of globalisation in the 21st century have forced many organisations to consider the adoption of distributed projects for horizontal and vertical cooperation with other companies to sustain competitive advantage. Analysts have predicted that spending on distributed project management solutions will grow from $2 billion in 2002 to $7 billion in 2007 (Collaborative Strategies, 2003). This approach has resulted in the formation of both formal and informal temporary alliances between organisations and increasingly the use of virtual teams (VTs) (Townsend et al., 1998; Qureshi et al., 2006). VTs can improve business performance by reducing cost, shortening cycle time, increasing innovation,