Promoting Critical Thinking in Virtual Teams

This chapter aims to raise awareness in leaders and practitioners on how critical thinking is embedded within the performance of virtual teams. The increasingly important nexus between critical thinking and team performance is demonstrated within the specific context of the virtual environment. The chapter is interspersed with brief case studies that demonstrate some of the experiences of Australian-based higher education staff in their efforts to incorporate both critical thinking and virtual teamwork into their pedagogy. A framework of success factors and challenges inherent to virtual teams and critical thinking is provided, which covers five influential factors: technology, student characteristics, educator characteristics, social aspects, and team dynamics. The chapter concludes with some directions for future research.