What is it about?

This study helps team leaders understand how to build trust, communicate better, and work smoothly across time zones and cultural boundaries. It offers a practical guide for companies that want to create strong, high-performing global teams—even when everyone is working remotely

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Why is it important?

In today’s global world, many companies depend on virtual teams made up of people from different countries and cultures. But working across distance and time zones isn’t always easy. Our study shows that for these global virtual teams to succeed, they must build trust quickly—what we call swift trust. Without it, collaboration breaks down. We also discovered that trust develops at three different levels, each playing a vital role in helping remote teams communicate, cooperate, and perform effectively.

Perspectives

My long-standing collaboration with my co-author regarding virtual teams and distributed work has been a journey of deep learning—revealing what it truly takes to work effectively across distance. For me, distance is no longer the issue. What truly matters is our understanding of three essential dimensions: people, technology, and competencies. The more we adapt, the more confident, flexible, and emotionally agile we become. Together, we have immersed ourselves in this evolving world of virtual collaboration to explore what enables people to build trust quickly—what we call “swift trust.” I genuinely hope this research serves as an eye-opener for Gen Z, who are stepping into a digital-first workplace where trust is not just important—it’s the glue that holds everything together.

Norhayati Zakaria
University of Sharjah

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Can we work together? A collaborative framework for swift trust development in global virtual teams using qualitative study, Review of International Business and Strategy, May 2025, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/ribs-08-2024-0105.
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