Professionalism—its effect on interpersonal relationships in high-tech global virtual teams

Abstract

Abstract Drawing on accounts presented—and the metaphors incorporated therein—in interviews with 129 workers, this study considers the effect of professionalism on relationships between Indian and Israeli global team members working in the high-tech industry. This study shows how the discourse of professionalism (together with additional, professionally oriented organizational mechanisms), as manifested in high-tech organizations, dictates not only employee–organization relations but also relationships between peers working in global virtual teams (GVTs). The study further illuminates how this particular construction of professionalism can engender a paradox in interpersonal relationships for professionals working in GVTs; and its subtle negative impact, from an ethical perspective, on interpersonal relationships between them. It also shows, however, that perceptions of friendship do emerge despite these limiting conditions.