Crossing Cultural Boundaries Using the Internet: Toward Building a Model of Swift Trust Formation in Global Virtual Teams

Abstract

This study employs a qualitative research method to advance understanding of the process of swift trust formation in global virtual teams (GVTs), which rely heavily on the Internet for virtual collaboration. We explore two key research questions: 1) What is the process of swift trust formation in GVTs? 2) How do GVTs develop swift trust behaviors during virtual collaboration? Over a period of two years (2014–2016), we interviewed 57 individuals from 16 countries. The interviewees had been GVT members in an international experiential learning project, and our aim was to explore their in-depth experiences of teamwork dynamics and swift trust formation. Our key contributions to the international management literature are 1) the development of a descriptive model of global virtual collaboration that explains the cyclical process of swift trust formation and 2) the formulations of prescriptions for promoting high-trust behaviors in GVTs. In the conclusion, this study reviews the theoretical and practical implications of understanding swift trust behaviors in the GVT context in order for firms to achieve business excellence and management effectiveness internationally.