The Transformational Impact of Intense Virtual Teamwork Experiences on Team Member Psychometrics: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Managers seeking to assure the success of teams in their organizations often resort to the use of psychometric measures to assign individuals to teams. We obtained psychometrics of 13 virtual teams before and after they engaged in five weeks of intense virtual collaborative activities. We found that significant changes in psychometrics had occurred during this period, suggesting that intense virtual teamwork experience themselves may modify individual psychometrics as teams strive to achieve their goals. While exploratory in nature, the statistical results are strong and serve as a cautionary note to all companies that use psychometrics to guide their actions.