Exploring the Key Factors Influencing Trust-Building and Their Impact on Enhancing the Performance of Global Virtual Teams (GVTs) in the Digital Age

Abstract

Companies rely heavily on Global Virtual Teams (GVTs) to work on challenges and remain competitive in this globalised world. GVTs use the internet, multimedia, collaborative software environments, and so on. A global team is made up of employees who work from different countries and time zones. When you are a member of this type of team, the virtual space serves as your common meeting place. The purpose of this study is to look into the factors that influence building trust in virtual teams. The research also looked at the influence of trust on individual and team performance in virtual teams. Trust is primarily formed through interpersonal interactions and communication, which allows individuals to get to know and trust one another in the workplace. Establishing trust in virtual teams can be difficult. Members may never have met in the past and have no chance of meeting in the future. This can lead to quick but fragile trust among the team members. To that end, understanding how trust affects virtual team performance and how it can help managers and team leaders facilitate and improve team success is critical.

A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect primary data among Bangalore IT sector employees. The study employed exploratory factor analysis to investigate trust factors, as well as descriptive and correlation analysis to examine the factors that lead to trust building in a virtual team. Furthermore, SEM (Structural Equation Model) analysis was performed to examine the interrelationship between factors influencing virtual team trust and virtual team performance.

The study explored the major factors to develop trust among virtual team members. The study's findings also revealed the strong link between trust and team performance. The findings will aid researchers, managers, and team members in better understanding the relationship between trust and team performance in Bangalore's IT sectors. The recommendations for increasing trust in virtual teams include re-emphasizing open and honest communication, recurring face-to-face meetings, and demonstrated work performance from participants.