Relational Work in Synchronous Text-Based CMC of Virtual Teams

Virtual teams enable participants from geographically distant locations to work together. The increasing popularity of this type of work lies in the fact that the widely available and cost effective new communication technologies enable continuous and intense communication, and provide tools for speedy and efficient cooperation (for example, knowledge repositories, searchable forums, manyto-many communication, and so forth). This chapter focuses on text-based CMC, specifically on synchronous instant messaging (IM). IM is widely used for virtual work because it allows for prompt, as well as simultaneous, multiple interactions. Moreover, compared to other audio modes, environmental interference is not considerable. IM is a communicative mode that is fundamentally different from those previously known (Crystal, 2004), as it combines the features of written and spoken discourse (see, for example, Herring, 1999; Zitzen & Stein, 2004). Thus it is essential that the team members adapt to this communicative mode and use it effectively to achieve mutual understanding ABSTRACT