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REVIEW ARTICLE
Measuring scientific interest in the issues of virtual project teams - bibliometric analysis
1
Institute of Management and Quality Sciences, University of Zielona Gora, Poland
Submission date: 2025-09-12
Final revision date: 2025-10-26
Acceptance date: 2025-11-24
Online publication date: 2025-12-14
Publication date: 2025-12-14
Corresponding author
Management 2025;(2):322-353
KEYWORDS
JEL CLASSIFICATION CODES
M12
O22
O33
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Research background and purpose:
The virtualization of work, the development of information and communication technologies have significantly transformed the way projects are organized and implemented, leading to the growing importance of virtual teams in various economic sectors. Although this practice is becoming increasingly common, the scientific literature is still characterized by a limited number of theoretical and empirical studies on the management of virtual project teams. These issues have become particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has accelerated digitalization processes and highlighted the role of remote work in organizations.
Design/methodology/approach:
The aim of the study was a bibliometric analysis of scientific output related to virtual team and project management, enabling the identification of publication dynamics, key research centers, authors, and key topic areas. The research material comprised 410 articles by 1,200 researchers, published in 373 sources in 61 countries between 1993 and 2025, obtained from the Web of Science database. The analysis was conducted using descriptive and bibliometric methods.
Findings:
The obtained results indicate a systematic development of research on virtual teams, with the number of publications remaining relatively stable since 2006. While studies emphasize the importance of team member competencies, communication, and project success factors, the analyzed literature does not identify a uniform methodology or model for selecting members of virtual project teams.
Value added and limitations:
The research conclusions indicate a clear cognitive gap regarding practical tools and models for managing virtual project teams. The study's selection of a single database remains a limitation, which limits the comprehensiveness of the literature analyzed. Nevertheless, the study contributes to the systematization of existing knowledge, providing a foundation for further research on the theory and practice of managing projects implemented in a virtual environment.
The virtualization of work, the development of information and communication technologies have significantly transformed the way projects are organized and implemented, leading to the growing importance of virtual teams in various economic sectors. Although this practice is becoming increasingly common, the scientific literature is still characterized by a limited number of theoretical and empirical studies on the management of virtual project teams. These issues have become particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has accelerated digitalization processes and highlighted the role of remote work in organizations.
Design/methodology/approach:
The aim of the study was a bibliometric analysis of scientific output related to virtual team and project management, enabling the identification of publication dynamics, key research centers, authors, and key topic areas. The research material comprised 410 articles by 1,200 researchers, published in 373 sources in 61 countries between 1993 and 2025, obtained from the Web of Science database. The analysis was conducted using descriptive and bibliometric methods.
Findings:
The obtained results indicate a systematic development of research on virtual teams, with the number of publications remaining relatively stable since 2006. While studies emphasize the importance of team member competencies, communication, and project success factors, the analyzed literature does not identify a uniform methodology or model for selecting members of virtual project teams.
Value added and limitations:
The research conclusions indicate a clear cognitive gap regarding practical tools and models for managing virtual project teams. The study's selection of a single database remains a limitation, which limits the comprehensiveness of the literature analyzed. Nevertheless, the study contributes to the systematization of existing knowledge, providing a foundation for further research on the theory and practice of managing projects implemented in a virtual environment.
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