Web Worker Daily

It’s been a hellacious summer in the skies over the U.S., as flight delays and cancellations soar. The New York Times reports that more than 100 domestic flights are regularly late by at least 15 minutes more than 70 percent of the time. And Business Week features our worsening air traffic problems as this week’s cover story.

It makes me thankful I’m a web worker, with access to tools like video chat, web conferencing, and social networks that supplement if not replace face-to-face meetings. It also makes me wonder: how important are face-to-face meetings anyway? And do their benefits outweigh their costs, including the pain and expense of air travel?

Conventional wisdom says that you need face to face meetings for building new relationships and solidifying existing ones, especially when teams are just starting. By meeting in person, you can develop intimacy and trust faster than with online tools.

Some management researchers, however, have found that face-to-face meetings are not necessary for effective teamwork. They may even be harmful when teammates are just getting to know each other:

In face-to-face meetings, impressions are made based on what’s visible and there is a tendency to focus on the differences, said Anita D Bhappu, an assistant professor of management and organisations at the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. “The differences act as filters when the communication returns to a virtual format,” she said. [from Expatica]

So maybe you and your teammates are not worse off if you’re forced by an aging air traffic control system to cut back on in-person meetups, especially given the explosion of different ways of connecting online.

What do you think? Are the benefits of face-to-face meetings great enough for you to deal with the hassles of air travel? Or are your communication and collaboration tools online so good that you can forego in-person meetings with remote colleagues?