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Virtual teams have become preoccupied with managing difference as a threat when they should be embracing it as an asset, workplace researchers say.

It's a team dynamic that can give rise to a "clone culture", where a "very dominant outlook and mindset" can make employees afraid to be themselves, say Dr R Meredith Belbin and Victoria Brown in their updated edition of Teams Roles at Work.

However, even if an organisation is convinced it has a particular culture, a personnel audit will likely reveal "a far richer seam" of talent than is generally realised, the authors say. This is because those whose roles are not widely esteemed tend to "keep their heads down", but surface "when the occasion permits".

According to Belbin and Brown, the interdependence and make-up of team members are key to team success. By understanding "Team Roles" – clusters of behavioural attributes", both inherent and learnt, that have been shown to facilitate team progress – employers will be better placed to build high-performing teams...