The extant literature shows a paucity of information on what makes a high-performing virtual team in business. The aims of this study are to design and test a model of global virtual team (GVT) performance and then to provide a profile of high-performing teams. A number of constructs were found in the literature to influence team performance. New or revised scales were designed to measure these. In addition, a number of performance criteria were identified as being relevant. A performance measurement scale was developed consisting of schedule adherence, budget adherence, conflict resolution, technical innovation and efficiency. Performance was rated by two senior managers with responsibility for the teams’ products. The study was conducted in a global telecommunications company which fully supported the research. A research model was developed and tested. The criteria used to review the literature were designed to cover a broad range of:
personal, interpersonal, and communication characteristics;
team process and structure factors; and
studies conducted in a business context. Constructs found to influence team performance were trustworthiness, commitment, communication characteristics, cross-cultural communication style and structure effects. Relevant literature will now be described. Team effectiveness and performance have been extensively researched. According to Salas et al. (2007), around 130 team performance models and frameworks have been recognized. However, the factors determining GVTs’ effectiveness and the variables contributing to performance are not well defined (Ale Ebrahim et al., 2009). Effects of social (Lin et al., 2008), task-related (Lipnack and Stamps, 2000) and communications (Maznevski and Chudoba, 2000) factors on the effectiveness of GVTs have been researched. However, a comprehensive profile of factors influencing high-performance in GVTs has not been reported. Not only is data collection from GVTs difficult owing to different locations (Lin et al., 2008), but the lack of clear definition between effectiveness and performance complicates matters further (Piccoli et al., 2004). Lurey and Raisinghani (2001) define performance as the degree to which the GVT’s products or services meet required standards in terms of quality, quantity and timeliness.