In this chapter we detail and explain the many new modes of communications that open up pathways for interactions and the development of relationships in virtual teams.
The NCR Corporation successfully built a virtual team of people who worked more than 11 months in 3 primary locations to develop a next generation computer system. Members of this team sat and met at the "same table" even though they were in San Diego, California, Columbia, South Carolina and Naperville, Illinois. They did this by creating a high-speed full-bandwidth continuously available audio/video/data link that they nicknamed "the Worm Hole." In the world of the Worm Hole even the grain on the conference tables i the three different locations matched. Anytime members of the virtual team wanted to meet they simply entered the Worm Hole and--instantly--were connected to each other.
Multiple modes of communication encourage companies to do the impossible--work at mach speed on budget and on time. Links include physical media that enable interactions that in turn spawn and maintain relationships within virtual groups.
The relationships that form out of the interactions allow us to move from the impressive, but impassive, domain of technology to the realm of people. But no amount of physical connection can replace trust which builds most easily and rapidly face-to-face. Most virtual teams meet in person from time to time.
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