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1 – 10 of over 2000Patrick Hendriks, Christian M. Olt, Timo Sturm and Clara C. Moos
We aim to help better understand how organizations can develop their human capital in virtual teams through technological advances in the metaverse. To this end, we examine how…
Abstract
Purpose
We aim to help better understand how organizations can develop their human capital in virtual teams through technological advances in the metaverse. To this end, we examine how virtual team collaboration with virtual reality technologies in the metaverse compares to traditional videoconferencing. Our study demonstrates how the metaverse can facilitate collaboration in virtual teams and examines the factors that are critical to successful team collaboration in the metaverse.
Design/methodology/approach
We conduct a lab experiment comparing Meta Horizon Workrooms with Zoom. Using a between-subjects design, we observe virtual team collaboration in five teams. All teams solved the Lost on the Moon Exercise used by NASA to train teamwork. We collected data during and after the experiment to explore emerging collaborative behaviors based on audio and video recordings, a quantitative survey, and qualitative feedback.
Findings
We find higher levels of immersion, social presence, and collaboration among team members in the metaverse. We further identify new opportunities for social interaction and greater focus on team members and shared tasks. Our study suggests that the metaverse can enable effective collaboration in virtual teams and uncovers related guidance for organizations.
Originality/value
We connect the research streams on the metaverse, team collaboration, and human capital. We add empirical evidence to the largely theoretical discussion on the metaverse and explore collaboration tools for virtual teams, helping to enable effective collaboration of organizations’ virtual teams. We hope to stimulate further research to unlock the full collaborative potential of the metaverse and establish the metaverse for effective development of human capital.
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Jasmin Mahadevan, Tobias Reichert, Jakob Steinmann, Annabelle Stärkle, Sven Metzler, Lisa Bacher, Raphael Diehm and Frederik Goroll
We conceptualized the novel phenomenon of COVID-induced virtual teams and its implications and provided researchers with the required information on how to conduct a…
Abstract
Purpose
We conceptualized the novel phenomenon of COVID-induced virtual teams and its implications and provided researchers with the required information on how to conduct a phenomenon-based study for conceptualizing novel phenomena in relevant ways.
Design/methodology/approach
This article stems from phenomenon-based and, thus, theory-building and grounded qualitative research in the German industrial sector. We conducted 47 problem-centered interviews in two phases (February–July 2021 and February–July 2022) to understand how team members and team leaders experienced COVID-induced virtual teamwork and its subsequent developments.
Findings
Empirically, we found COVID-induced virtual teams to be characterized by a high relevance of shaping positive team dynamics via steering internal moderators; crisis is a novel external moderator and transformation becomes the key output factor to be leveraged. Work-from-home leads to specific configuration needs and interrelations between work-from-home and on-site introduce additional dynamics. Methodologically, the phenomenon-based approach is found to be highly suitable for studying the effects of such novel phenomena.
Research limitations/implications
This article is explorative. Thus, we advocate further research on related novel phenomena, such as post-COVID-hybrid and work-from-home teams. A model of how to encourage positive dynamics in post-COVID-hybrid teams is developed and lays the groundwork for further studies on post-COVID teamwork. Concerning methodology, researchers are provided with information on how to conduct phenomenon-based research on novel phenomena, such as the COVID-induced virtual teams that we studied.
Practical implications
Companies receive advice on how to encourage positive dynamics in post-COVID teamwork, e.g. on identifying best practices and resilient individuals.
Social implications
In a country such as Germany that faces labor shortages, our insights might facilitate better labor-market integration for those with care-work obligations and international workers.
Originality/value
We offer a first conceptualization of a relevant novel phenomenon, namely COVID-induced virtual teams. We exemplify the phenomenon-based approach as a suitable methodology that serves to build relevant theory using active categorization.
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Shubhi Gupta, Govind Swaroop Pathak and Baidyanath Biswas
This paper aims to determine the impact of perceived virtuality on team dynamics and outcomes by adopting the Input-Mediators-Outcome (IMO) framework. Further, it also…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to determine the impact of perceived virtuality on team dynamics and outcomes by adopting the Input-Mediators-Outcome (IMO) framework. Further, it also investigates the mediating role of team processes and emergent states.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors collected survey data from 315 individuals working in virtual teams (VTs) in the information technology sector in India using both offline and online questionnaires. They performed the analysis using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM).
Findings
The authors investigated two sets of hypotheses – both direct and indirect (or mediation interactions). Results show that psychological empowerment and conflict management are significant in managing VTs. Also, perceived virtuality impacts team outcomes, i.e. perceived team performance, team satisfaction and subjective well-being.
Research limitations/implications
The interplay between the behavioural team process (conflict management) and the emergent state (psychological empowerment) was examined. The study also helps broaden our understanding of the various psychological variables associated with teamwork in the context of VTs.
Practical implications
Findings from this study will aid in assessing the consequences of virtual teamwork at both individual and organisational levels, such as guiding the design and sustainability of VT arrangements, achieving higher productivity in VTs, and designing effective and interactive solutions in the virtual space.
Social implications
The study examined the interplay between behavioural team processes (such as conflict management) and emergent states (such as psychological empowerment). The study also theorises and empirically tests the relationships between perceived virtuality and team outcomes (i.e. both affective and effectiveness). It may serve as a guide to understanding team dynamics in VTs better.
Originality/value
This exploratory study attempts to enhance the current understanding of the research and practice of VTs within a developing economy.
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Chitra Dey, Marvin Grabowski, Yannick Frontzkowski, Ganesh M.P. and Sebastian Ulbrich
Social virtual reality (SVR) has emerged as a solution for the facilitation of remote and distributed teamwork, promising to overcome challenges faced in virtual 2D communication…
Abstract
Purpose
Social virtual reality (SVR) has emerged as a solution for the facilitation of remote and distributed teamwork, promising to overcome challenges faced in virtual 2D communication channels. The purpose of this study is to systematically review empirical articles dealing with the application of SVR with head-mounted displays (HMDs) in teams.
Design/methodology/approach
This study reviewed 40 empirical papers on teamwork that address the application of SVR using HMD in teams. The authors present results from the extracted data and identify themes that indicate the current state of research in this field.
Findings
Based on data obtained from the journal articles, the authors identified three themes underlying current research. They are features and applications of SVR technology, collaboration dynamics and team performance in SVR and educational and professional training and learning. The results show that SVR enhances team collaboration and collaborative learning.
Practical implications
SVR can aid in improving teamwork and team outcomes. In its current stage, SVR is complementary to 2D technology and not likely to replace traditional tools. Findings suggest that the technology is promising for collaboration and learning in organisations, especially in collaborative design tasks and simulations.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is one of the first studies to look at research emerging from the nascent area of SVR and summarise the current state of research. This study provides managerial implications and identifies future research areas for SVR in teamwork and learning.
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Pilar Mosquera and Mariana Branco
Virtual teams allow companies to recruit the best talents, regardless of their geographic location, which is particularly relevant in the Information and Communications Technology…
Abstract
Purpose
Virtual teams allow companies to recruit the best talents, regardless of their geographic location, which is particularly relevant in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector given the high shortage of qualified human capital. However, the space and time flexibility of these professionals also present other challenges to Human Resource Management, such as work engagement and employee retention. This study aims to assess the extent to which supervisor support can influence work engagement and turnover intention in virtual teams.
Design/methodology/approach
We use a sample of 420 ICT Portuguese professionals who work in virtual teams to test a conceptual model with partial least squares (PLS).
Findings
The study results show that supervisor support decreases employee's intention to leave their job. We also found that work engagement mediates the relationship between supervisor support and work engagement. Results show that older employees present higher levels of work engagement and employees with longer tenure perceive less supervisor support.
Originality/value
This study contributes to elucidate the role played by supervisors in influencing employee engagement and retention in virtual work environments.
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Jianyao Jia, Shan Jiang, Liang Xiao and Fei Lu
The adoption of emerging information and communication technologies in construction project teams has engendered numerous virtual spaces, characterized by communication visibility…
Abstract
Purpose
The adoption of emerging information and communication technologies in construction project teams has engendered numerous virtual spaces, characterized by communication visibility and content persistence. As a result, the knowledge exchanged in these virtual spaces serves as a team’s digital resources. However, the extant literature mostly takes a process-based approach to examine the impact of knowledge sharing, thus failing to fully comprehend the process of converting digital resources into performance, resulting in a gap in the literature.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs team resource-based theory to construct a theoretical model and develop hypotheses. Specifically, knowledge integration capability and team efficacy are hypothesized as two types of critical capabilities that mediate the links between knowledge sharing (quantity and quality) in virtual spaces and management performance. Data from 128 middle and senior construction project managers were collected to test the proposed theoretical model.
Findings
The results suggest that relationships between knowledge sharing (quantity and quality) and project management performance are both mediated by knowledge integration capability. Moreover, team efficacy could only partially translate knowledge sharing quantity into performance and couldn’t transform knowledge sharing quality into performance. Besides, knowledge integration is found to strengthen the link between knowledge sharing quantity and performance but weaken the relationship between knowledge sharing quality and performance.
Originality/value
This study explores how knowledge shared in virtual spaces could be leveraged for improving management performance in construction project teams. The findings in this study enhance the understanding of knowledge sharing in digital environments and afford important insights into transforming digital resources into performance within construction project teams.
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Zhang Hui, Naseer Abbas Khan and Maria Akhtar
This study social based on cognitive theory (SCT), aims to better understand how transformational leadership affects team-level knowledge sharing and absorptive ability in the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study social based on cognitive theory (SCT), aims to better understand how transformational leadership affects team-level knowledge sharing and absorptive ability in the construction industry. It also examines the moderating influence of the AI-based virtual assistant on the indirect relationship between transformational leadership and team innovation through knowledge sharing and absorptive ability at the team level.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a simple random sample approach to gather data from several small and medium-sized construction firms in Anhui Province, China. A total of 407 respondents, including 89 site engineers and 321 team members, provided their responses on a five-point Likert scale questionnaire.
Findings
The findings showed that AI-based virtual assistants significantly moderated the direct and indirect association between transformational leadership and knowledge sharing, and subsequently with team innovation. Unexpectedly, the findings showed that AI-based virtual assistant did not moderate the direct relationship between transformational leadership and team-level absorptive capacity.
Originality/value
This study adds a fresh perspective to the literature on construction management by examining team innovation driven by transformational leadership through an underlying mechanism. It is unique in that it uses the team adaptation theory to investigate the understudied relationship between transformational leadership and team innovation in the construction industry.
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Giorgia Masili, Daniele Binci, Corrado Cerruti, Andrea Appolloni and Luca Giraldi
This study aims to understand how distributed agile teams (DATs), encouraged by globalisation, and recently accelerated by the COVID-19 outbreak, adopt agile practices to achieve…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to understand how distributed agile teams (DATs), encouraged by globalisation, and recently accelerated by the COVID-19 outbreak, adopt agile practices to achieve project goals by working virtually.
Design/methodology/approach
This study developed a multiple-case study involving four companies undergoing several changes, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors collected data mainly through in-depth, face-to-face interviews with seven key informants. Moreover, this study operates data triangulation by referring to secondary data sources and developing a grounded theory data analysis.
Findings
The findings highlight three main categories associated with the DAT functioning, namely, “DATs’ implementation issues”, “elements supporting DATs’ implementation” and “outcomes of DATs’ implementation”, that show DATs’ primary triggers, critical aspects and supportive actions for team functioning.
Research limitations/implications
This paper produced valuable theoretical knowledge of DATs’ dynamics within a socio-technical approach that distinguishes soft and hard variables supporting DAT implementation. Moreover, the evidence provides useful suggestions for managers about creating an objective-oriented virtual work environment based on DATs’ self-organisation, digitally shared leadership and occasional on-site socialisation.
Originality/value
This paper provides new and interesting insights that bring to evidence the main variables related to DATs’ adoption and dynamics, showing supporting activities that enhanced their operativity. It provides a valuable descriptive framework for academics and practitioners to understand DATs’ functioning better and take action to improve their implementation.
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This study provides a meta-review of global virtual team (GVT)–related reviews, creating a resource that highlights dominant themes, research trends and shifts in topics over time…
Abstract
Purpose
This study provides a meta-review of global virtual team (GVT)–related reviews, creating a resource that highlights dominant themes, research trends and shifts in topics over time culminating in a summary of opportunities for future research. By analyzing and grouping the evidence presented in previous research, this meta-review provides key insights toward future research and managerial implications.
Design/methodology/approach
This meta-review identifies 35 existing GVT-related reviews across 32 publication outlets, providing a longitudinal and cross-disciplinary view of GVT research to date.
Findings
Results of the analysis reveal over time that there has been a largely adopted reconceptualization of the GVT paradigm toward a continuum of virtuality. There has been a shift in the view of the cross-cultural and global components of GVTs toward a recognition that a greater variance of dimensionality exists. Additionally, popular themes across the literature emerge, notably, virtuality, concepts of culture, trust, leadership and communication technology.
Originality/value
As a multidisciplinary GVT-focused meta-review, this study complements previous efforts by taking a tour across this wide topic and is dedicated to those who are researching, teaching, working and managing GVT-related strategies. The reviews selected represent work published across multiple literature streams, providing a comprehensive and forward thinking perspective.
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Lishin M. Joshy, Nimmi P. Mohandas and Govind Gopi Verma
The daunting task of managing knowledge workers virtually has not always yielded positive results. This empirical work discusses the impact of Virtual Leadership on Organizational…
Abstract
Purpose
The daunting task of managing knowledge workers virtually has not always yielded positive results. This empirical work discusses the impact of Virtual Leadership on Organizational Citizenship Behavior. The study investigated how Psychological Contract Violation moderates the relationship between Virtual Leadership and Organizational Citizenship Behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was collected from 392 IT engineers working in software companies in India. The cross-sectional data was analyzed using Warp-PLS software, IBM SPSS and IBM Amos.
Findings
The results support the proposition that virtual leadership is negatively associated with Organizational citizenship behavior, at sub-dimension levels except obedience. The moderating role of psychological contract violation is also established by the results.
Practical implications
Virtual leaders should demonstrate collaborative behaviors to generate organizational citizenship behavior among team members. Leaders should be imparted training to enable them to adapt themselves to virtual environment. This study highlights the paradoxical nature of virtual leadership and opens the possibilities for future research.
Originality/value
The study is one of the first to report a negative association between Virtual leadership and Organization citizenship behavior. There is uniqueness in the use of the “Contingency theory of leadership” to explain the difficulties faced while managing a virtual team.
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