ABSTRACT

The way people work in teams is changing. These changes are affecting what work teams look like and how those teams function. People now switch employers more frequently or are more likely to work as independent contractors. Organizations have also increasingly begun to utilize "flash teams," which are short-term teams designed to achieve specific objectives then disband, with no expectations of a future work relationship among members. Furthermore, teams now often meet virtually with members rarely or perhaps never meeting in person. As such, the concept of working in a team means something very different today than it once did. While scholars have devoted considerable attention to how the changing nature of teams can influence coordination and collaboration and even work satisfaction, much less research has been devoted to examining how it may affect the ethics involved with working on those teams. This chapter aims to address that question.