scholarly journals Some antecedents and outcomes of informal learning behavior in a virtual team

Author(s):  
Huynh Thi Minh Chau ◽  
Nguyen Manh Tuan ◽  
Truong Thi Lan Anh

Virtual teams are commonly used in businesses to meet employees’ needs for teleworking. Meanwhile, informal learning is a social phenomenon that influences work outcomes in learning organizations. Understanding informal learning behavior with its important antecedents and outcomes is necessary, especially in the context of teleworking via electronic communication media as virtual teams. This paper proposes and examines a structured model that describes the relationships among employee-coworker relationship quality, psychological empowerment, informal learning behavior, job performance, and job satisfaction of virtual team members. The results show a positive relationship between ((i) job performance and job satisfaction, (ii) informal learning behavior and job performance, (iii) psychological empowerment and informal learning behavior, (iv) employee-coworker relationship quality and psychological empowerment. The employee-coworker relationship quality, psychological empowerment, and informal learning behavior can explain 30.3% of the variance of job performance, indicating the role of informal learning behavior and its antecedents on the work outcomes of virtual team members.

Author(s):  
Steven A. Morris ◽  
Thomas E. Marshall ◽  
R. Kelly Rainer Jr.

Pressured by the growing need for fast response times, mass customization and globalization, many organizations are turning to flexible organizational forms, such as virtual teams. Virtual teams consist of cooperative relationships supported by information technology to overcome limitations of time and/or location. Virtual teams require their members to rely heavily on the use of information technology and trust in coworkers. This study investigates the impacts that the reliance on information technology (operationalized in our study via the user satisfaction construct) and trust have on the job satisfaction of virtual team members. The study findings reveal that both user satisfaction and trust are positively related to job satisfaction in virtual teams, while system use was not found to play a significant role. These findings emphasize that organizations seeking the benefits of flexible, IT-enabled virtual teams must consider both the level of trust among colleagues, and the users’ satisfaction with the information technology on which virtual teams rely.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 48-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keng Siau ◽  
Min Ling

Organizations increasingly depend on virtual teams in which geographically distributed individuals use sophisticated technology to interact and collaborate. With the advancement of mobile and wireless technology, mobile support for collaboration among virtual team members is becoming increasingly important and popular. In this research, we study the values of mobile support for virtual team members. Using the qualitative technique, Value-Focused Thinking approach, proposed by Keeney, we interviewed 30 subjects who were involved in information systems development teams and asked them the values of mobile support for virtual collaboration. This study uses Alter's Work Systems Theory as the conceptual foundation.


2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audra I. Mockaitis ◽  
Elizabeth L. Rose ◽  
Peter Zettinig

This paper investigates the perceptions of members of 43 culturally diverse global virtual teams, with respect to team processes and outcomes. Despite widespread acknowledgement of the challenges presented by cultural differences in the context of global teams, little is known about the effect of these differences on team dynamics in the absence of face-to-face interaction. Using a student-based sample, we study the relationship between global virtual team members’ individualistic and collectivistic orientations and their evaluations of trust, interdependence, communication and information sharing, and conflict during the team task. Our results suggest that a collectivist orientation is associated with more favorable impressions regarding global virtual team processes and that cultural differences are not concealed by virtual means of communication.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 1292-1304
Author(s):  
Jessie Ho ◽  
Paul L Nesbit

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between personality traits (conscientiousness and internal locus of control) and self-leadership. Specifically, we tested a moderated mediation model with self-leadership as the mediator between personality traits and job performance and job satisfaction and with gender as the moderator in influencing the mediations. Data were collected from a variety of organizations from 341 supervisor-subordinate dyads located in China and Hong Kong. Our analyses revealed that: (1) conscientiousness and internal locus of control were positively related to self-leadership in Chinese contexts; (2) self-leadership mediated the relationships of conscientiousness and internal locus of control with both job performance and job satisfaction; and (3) the mediating effects of self-leadership were not moderated by gender.  


2017 ◽  
pp. 687-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Carlson ◽  
Dawn S. Carlson ◽  
Emily M. Hunter ◽  
Randal L. Vaughn ◽  
Joey F. George

The work of virtual teams is increasingly important to today's organizations, work that is accomplished predominantly via computer-mediated communication. The authors investigate the moderating role of experience with instant messaging on the team interpersonal processes (cohesion and openness) to team effectiveness relationship in virtual teams. Data were obtained from 365 virtual team members using survey methodology and analyzed using hierarchical moderated regression and multilevel analyses. They found that team cohesion has a main effect on team effectiveness. Team openness has a main effect and is moderated by experience with instant messaging, i.e., strengthens the relationship. Understanding the role of team interpersonal processes and the role of the communication media will allow managers to more effectively build virtual teams and provide effective training and support. Using the theoretical lens of channel expansion theory the authors expand theoretical, empirical and practical knowledge of this area.


Author(s):  
D. Sandy Staples ◽  
Ann Frances Cameron

Patterns of what is required to enhance a virtual team member’s satisfaction with their work and with being part of the team, their commitment to the team, and their motivation with the project were identified via case studies of six employee virtual teams. Positive patterns were found between two or more of these outcome attitudes and the following input variables: significance of the task, task autonomy, interpersonal skills, team potency, and team spirit. Managing these input variables well would be important for organizations with virtual teams, because doing so could positively affect the team members’ attitudes toward the work, leading to enhanced productivity and effective behavior. Implications for practitioners and researchers are offered.


Author(s):  
Richard Potter ◽  
Pierre Balthazard

Drawing from several years of empirical research, in this chapter, we look at the impact of the personalities of individual team members on the performance and process outcomes of virtual teams. Our studies showed that both too few and too many extroverts in a virtual team may result in low performance. While conventional wisdom says that teams should be set up on the basis of expertise, we argue that the resulting interaction styles of the members must be considered when establishing a virtual team. We offer suggestions for managers on assessing the potential for constructive interaction styles.


Virtual Teams ◽  
2011 ◽  
pp. 160-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Sandy Staples ◽  
Ian K. Wong ◽  
Ann Frances Cameron

The purpose of this chapter is to improve the understanding of what makes virtual teams effective. This is done by identifying the best practices for individual team members, the best practices for leaders and sponsors of virtual teams, and the best practices for the organizations that the virtual teams are a part of. Best practices in these categories were identified from: (1) empirical evidence from case studies of six existing virtual teams; (2) the existing literature related to virtual teams; and, (3) traditional team (i.e., collocated) and telework literature. The chapter concludes with implications for organizations and potential research directions.


Virtual Teams ◽  
2011 ◽  
pp. 70-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Hornett

Practitioners and researchers need to pay attention to how corporate organizing structures are impacting and are impacted by virtual work environments. Virtual teams are powerful organizing mechanisms, but they are not without limitations. This chapter reports on two cases in which dynamics outside the virtual project teams powerfully affected the teams. These cases, both based on studies of real project teams operating inside corporations, highlight the desirability of understanding virtual teams in context. While external factors are not unique to teamwork, their role has not been explored in depth in research on virtual teams. Dynamic forces outside teams seem more difficult to anticipate and to identify when team members are working virtually, and these powerful but invisible dynamics can be frustrating to virtual team leaders and members. Concluded in this chapter is that contrary to initial expectations, virtual teams are not replacing traditional forms of organizing. They are coexisting with traditional forms and dynamics, such as business drivers, hierarchies, departments, strategic priorities, and business needs. This coexistence can be fraught with conflict.


Author(s):  
Christie L. McDaniel

Virtual teams are become more and more popular as the world becomes more connected; furthermore, research is suggesting that virtual teams are as effective as face-to-face teams (Baker, 2002). This chapter compares and contrasts virtual teams with face-to-face teams in order to determine what differences exist as the workplace become virtual. It investigates how relationships between team members change when geographic boundaries are removed and how managers should adjust managerial styles when leading a virtual team. Also, a discussion of team dynamics—including the development of trust, team cohesion, and communication barriers—is included. Tips and techniques for developing an effective team are provided for virtual team managers.


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