Navigating global virtual teams: technological, cultural and leadership challenges in the era of remote work

Purpose This paper aims to examine the evolution of global virtual teams (GVTs) as a central mechanism for virtual global mobility, enabling cross-border collaboration without physical relocation. It explores how academic literature has addressed the interplay between cultural diversity, technological infrastructure and structural team dynamics. By positioning GVTs as strategic responses to changing models of international work, the study contributes to ongoing debates on virtual assignments and global talent mobility. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review that used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol to analyze 113 academic sources on GVTs, which were then synthesized through qualitative thematic coding to explore developments in cultural, technological and structural dimensions concerning trust, communication and coordination. Findings The review highlights a shift from foundational concerns toward more complex challenges, including asynchronous collaboration, chronotype diversity and digital fluency gaps. While technology enables global teamwork, persistent issues, such as cultural misalignment, fragmented structures and role ambiguity, continue to undermine cohesion and trust. Successful GVTs increasingly rely on inclusive onboarding, adaptive leadership and the strategic use of role-based trust as a foundation for developing deeper cognitive and affective trust. Originality/value This paper offers a novel synthesis of GVT literature by linking technological enablement with the socio-cultural and structural complexities of distributed collaboration. It reconceptualizes GVTs not merely as project-based teams but as evolving platforms for international work and global mobility. By examining how organizations cultivate trust, manage diversity and coordinate across dispersed contexts, the study provides new insights for both theory and practice in virtual collaboration and global talent management.