Virtual Teams and Communities of Practice

Interdisciplinary research is being supported by universities and funding agencies, which in turn require a collaborative approach by researchers with complimentary yet different sets of expertise. Communities of practice are also facilitated by a collaborative approach, with groups of researchers investigating an area of common interest. It is important to note that collaborative research is not an extension of the single researcher approach. Goode (1973) originally suggested that collaborative research may be depicted as a delicate balance of collegiality and bureaucracy. Bradley (1982) supported this idea and further suggested that to increase the probability of group success, it is important to reach, as early as possible, a mutually acceptable and explicit agreement about group members’ responsibilities.