Abstract
Modes of communication used in virtual defense projects have changed dramatically over the years with tools such as email and video-conferencing dominating face-to-face (FTF) meetings. We conducted a survey at a defense firm with an aim to test current attitudes towards FTF meetings – with respect to significant problems faced, project success, transfer of technical requirements, preference for FTF vis-à-vis virtual meetings, differences between virtual and co-located environments, criticality of various forms of communication, and whether FTF meetings were scheduled as often as desired. Our survey participants, about one hundred in number, were experienced engineers, technicians, and program managers – working in a virtual product development team at a defense firm. The results suggest that despite significant advances in virtual communication technologies, FTF meetings remain critical and cannot be eliminated from defense firms. Further, it is also clear that FTF meetings can play a significant role in reducing chances of miscommunication.
Recommended Citation
L. R. Blenke et al., "Attitudes towards Face-To-Face Meetings in Virtual Engineering Teams: Perceptions from a Survey of Defense Projects," International Journal of Project Organisation and Management, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 95 - 112, Jan 2017.
Department(s)
Engineering Management and Systems Engineering
Research Center/Lab(s)
Intelligent Systems Center
Keywords and Phrases
Virtual Teams; Face-to-Face Communication; Likert Surveys
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
1740-2891; 1740-2905
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Preprint
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Publication Date
01 Jan 2017
