Fostering trust and collaboration in Virtual project teams through the implementation of a personal identity profile

This project researches whether the availability of personal information about individual team members will

• help to make estimations on trustworthiness
• stimulate interpersonal trust
• and facilitate collaboration among virtual team members.

The main research question is:
What type of information on personal identity helps team members to make perceived better estimations of trustworthiness, thereby advancing interaction in terms of starting point, frequency and type of messages ?
 

In the project information about individual group members will be collected and presented in a personal identify profile (PIP) that is visible to all group members.
A case study and literature review are used to determine which information is relevant for the formation of trust in virtual project teams. These categories of information will be translated in information (signals) available in the personal identity profiles.
A first paper-based mock-up of the personal identity profile, consisting of a selection of signals and a look-and-feel of the profile, will be evaluated in a delphi-study with experts different disciplines and revised on the basis of their recommendations. The effect of a personal identity profile will be tested in two repeated pre-experimental pilots with virtual project teams. In these pilots we will measure whether the availability of specific selected signals represented in a personal identity profile does lead to perceived better estimations of trustworthiness and to advanced interaction patterns (in terms of starting point, frequency and type of messages). Also the user friendliness (in terms of usability, relevancy, acceptability and intuitiveness) of the personal identity profile will be evaluated.