The effects of extraversion and expertise on virtual team interaction and performance

Abstract

Investigates the effects of extraversion and team-member expertise on virtual team interaction and performance. 63 virtual teams of professional managers participated in an intellectual decision-making task using a Web-based conferencing tool. The results revealed the level of extraversion to be positively and significantly correlated with aggressive and constructive interaction styles. Differences in extraversion levels within virtual teams were positively and significantly correlated with a passive interaction style and negatively and significantly correlated with solution acceptance and perceived effectiveness. Average expertise was negatively and significantly correlated with a constructive interaction style and team errors. Average expertise also correlated highly and positively with the best member's expertise. In virtual team settings, extraversion was found to promote effective team interactions; teams with lower variances in extraversion did best, especially in teams with good knowledge to start off with. However, for the most part, group styles, and not individual personality or expertise, have predictive power on performance outcomes.