E-Leadership and Trust Management

Abstract

Trust is considered a key factor in virtual team performance and outcomes. Recent studies suggest that e-leaders significantly contribute to trust development in their teams and that their contributions depend on the team’s level of virtuality. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the behaviors and practices that enable e-leaders to build trusty relationships in their teams. Using leadership behavioral complexity theory, we focus on the roles played by e-leaders in managing their teams. To this end, we conducted a large survey with virtual team members. The results highlight the importance of the roles of rational goals and human relations in trust management. With regard to the effects of virtuality, distance is found to have a significant negative moderator effect on the contribution of leadership to trust development, while the moderator effect of ICT use is positive.