Lesson 3: Building and Maintaining Trust

Virtual Distance

What is Virtual Distance? In the 1970s, prior to the development of virtual communication technologies, Thomas Allen examined the relationship between communication and desk location of office workers in a large office (Lojeski & Reilly, 2008). As the distance between desks increased the amount of communication decreased. Office workers had almost no communication with colleagues whose desks were 30 feet (9.1 m) apart from their desk. As virtual communication technologies developed, this experiment was repeated with a twist. Individuals were led to believe that they were communicating with someone in the next village and distances up to 3000 miles (4,800 kilometers) away when in fact the person was in the next room. The same effect occurred. The further away the person was perceived to be, the more difficult was the communication.

Since communication is critical to building trust, this perceived distance creates problems of team member interaction and communication. Virtual distance refers to how far away one perceives a co-worker is. The person may be close or far away physically, but it is the perceived distance that results in problems. Virtual communication technologies allow one to develop the perception that the person is close or far away. The actual distance has nothing to do with the perception of virtual distance. The closer a team member is perceived to be the lower the virtual distance is.

A low virtual distance increases the emotional ties and trust. Low virtual distance places greater importance and trust on communications and relationships. Team members take the time to get to know each other. If you saw a virtual team member walking down the street, would you recognize or stop to talk with him or her? While you may never meet a virtual team member, establishing a low virtual distance positions you as if you will be meeting them. It serves to build trust and team member relationships.