A team leader's perception of effective communication may, for example, not be experienced in the same way as a team member receiving the communication. On the other hand, the results of effective team work appear to imply that certain categories of communication are experienced as more effective than others. A limitation of the qualitative research methodology is the fact that opinions are by nature arbitrary. This is particularly so since only the leadership sector of the work situation was interviewed.
In applying the methodology, it will perhaps be interesting to make a combined study of both team leaders and team members. The perception of team leader and their communication strategies could then be compared with the experiences of team members. The use of technology and two-way communication strategies could also be included here. Team members may, for example, experience a certain lack of opportunity to communicate their concerns to team leaders, where the latter feel that they are making the effort to create a positive environment...
Studies like these hold important implications for the changing nature of the workplace in the contemporary, IT driven world.
The nature of the issue investigated was driven by opinions and experiences of the individuals working in leadership positions with virtual teams. Furthermore, the results are dependent upon the individual experiences of each leader. Hence, the qualitative method proved to be most effective. For the future studies suggested above, this methodology is also suggested, as a result of the same investigation feature.
References
Holton, E.F. And Swanson, R. (2005). Research in Organizations: foundations and methods of inquiry. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
Kimball, L. (1997). Managing Virtual Teams. Group Jazz. Retrieved from: http://www.groupjazz.com/pdf/vteams-toronto.pdf
Sivunen, A. (2006). Strengthening Identification with the Team in Virtual Teams: The Leaders' Perspective. Group Decision and Negotiation. Vol 15.
