What it takes to design in the virtual world

Research has indicated that in order to function efficiently and effectively in a team environment, irrespective of whether it is a traditional or virtual team, team members require ‘appropriate skills’ (i.e. awareness, understanding, and abilities to apply). One cannot ‘assume’ that all team members automatically possess all of the necessary skills for virtual teaming. Previous research has identified that the introduction of new technologies can impact, both positively and negatively, upon the performance of teams. This paper describes the impact the introduction virtual technologies may have on the generic skills of design teams. It examines each of concepts at hand: Design collaboration, virtual teams, and generic skills, using this literature to form a framework for the analysis of design collaboration.