Using developmental relationships to foster trust in effective virtual teams: lessons in emergency preparedness from the COVID-19 pandemic

Globalization and cost-saving initiatives undertaken by organizations continue to play an essential role in the transition from face-to-face to virtual team environments (Mancuso et al., in Advances in Developing Human Resources 12:681–699, 2010). This shift has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 global pandemic crisis during which most organizations required a large part of their workforce to work from home (Hughes & Saunders. Handbook of research on remote work and worker well-being in the post-COVID-19 era. IGI Global, pp. 264–285, 2021). This chapter examines the role of virtual teams during unplanned emergency situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we examine the role of developmental relationships across four levels of analysis, including individual, organizational, technological, and team. We also explore the ways HRD researchers and professionals can remove the barriers to effective virtual teams and enhance the development of work relationships through mentoring and coaching initiatives in virtual teams, hence providing new perspectives for virtual human resource development. Implications for developmental relationships are identified and discussed.