Abstract

virtual IS teams are rapidly growing due to the changing nature of organizations to meet decreased travel budgets, a globalized economic recession, and the ever-increasing costs to travel (Ubell, 2010). These virtual IS teams are dynamic in nature and are usually constructed for a specific project or task-focused group, based on collaborative principles and use state-of-the-art technology communication to support collaboration (Rabotin, 2014). By nature, virtual IS teams are faced with several challenges to overcome for success: distance, time, technology, culture, trust, and leadership (Robbins, 1995). The Apollo Syndrome is a phenomenon where teams of highly capable and intelligent individuals may collectively perform poorly due to their inability to make decisions to develop a solution to solve the problem or work collaboratively (Belbin, 2010). The absence of a highly dominant individual or a specific leadership style may lead to team failure. Students in a higher education online learning environment enrolled in a management information systems course had the opportunity to develop and strengthen their virtual IS team skills to become effective workers in the 21st century workplace. This study addresses challenges inherent in virtual IS teams and provides strategies for effectively managing work processes; designing a collaborative environment; creating accountability and commitment to shared goals and values; and developing cohesive team synergy to alleviate the Apollo Syndrome in virtual IS teams.

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