Virtual Team Collaboration Research Articles

Exploring team collaboration in the metaverse from a human capital perspective

PurposeWe 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/approachWe 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.FindingsWe 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/valueWe 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.

Exploring Team Collaboration in the New Metaverse (The 3D-AI Internet)

This study explores the anticipated changes in team collaboration driven by the rise of AI-reliant businesses in the metaverse. The research is motivated by the rapid technological advancements and increasing interest from major tech companies in creating shared virtual environments for distributed teams. The main objective is to investigate how team collaboration will evolve in this new context, providing insights for future metaverse team members and leaders. The qualitative study employs semi-structured, in-depth interviews in January-February 2022 with team members from the virtual world of Second Life, focusing on payment satisfaction, globalized team culture, training and learning, and fictional identities. This research period is contemporary, reflecting current trends and capabilities. The primary methods include thematic analysis of interview data to identify emerging patterns. Data is analyzed using “Dedoose”, a web application for mixed methods research, and collected in several codes and subcodes that will eventually form a “code tree”. Descriptive validity, interpretative validity, theoretical validity and generalizable validity were confirmed. Key findings reveal that metaverse-native teams need innovative payment methods and a focus on authentic self-expression. A globalized team culture will require balancing work and social life in virtual environments, with Corporate Social Responsibility being vital to attracting Generation Alpha. Payment satisfaction will shift towards fulfilment and unique experiences rather than just financial security, and businesses should explore alternative payment methods beyond cryptocurrency. Fictional identities will necessitate building metaverse-specific reputations for professionalism and trust. Training and learning will connect virtual and real-life scenarios, enhancing skills and quality. The study confirms that traditional collaboration models may only partially apply in augmented virtuality. These results have practical significance for businesses and professionals preparing to operate in the metaverse, offering a foundation for future research and development in virtual team collaboration.

Improving Virtual Team Collaboration Paradox Management: A Field Experiment

Virtual teams are ubiquitous in the workplace, yet they experience frequent collaboration challenges. Successfully managing the team collaboration paradox, in terms of maintaining a unified team perspective and diverse individual perspectives, presents a potentially important lever to improve virtual team performance. However, scholars have conflicting opinions regarding whether such improvement is possible. We argue that team collaboration paradox management will positively relate to team performance over time and can be improved via a theory-based intervention. This intervention draws from theory on paradoxes for its content (paradoxical thinking) and team development interventions for its structure (general content knowledge, team-specific feedback, action-focused planning). Given the complexity of paradoxes, it is unclear whether a single training session could substantively improve their management; therefore, one intervention condition was comprised of a single training session and the other condition included a follow-up session. Analyzing two waves of multisource quantitative data from a sample of 76 virtual teams from 37 organizations, we find a positive relationship between team collaboration paradox management and team performance at both time periods. We also find that only the intervention condition with the follow-up session, as compared with untreated control teams, significantly improved how well teams managed the collaboration paradox and thereby facilitated subsequent changes in team performance. Supplementary qualitative insights from the intervention sessions illuminate the actions virtual teams took to improve their collaboration paradox management. These results have important implications for the paradox and teams literatures, as well as the managers and members of virtual teams. Funding: This work was supported by the SHRM Foundation [Project 166].

“Should I Introduce myself?”: Asynchronous semi-guided professional introductions for enhanced perceived team effectiveness in new virtual dyadic teams

Achieving effective collaboration and trust has been shown to be harder for virtual vs. in-person teams. Related work has confirmed that introductions are a key mechanism to form trust in newly-formed teams. The rise of remote work necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for accelerating the development of effective collaboration in virtual teams. In response to this need, based on the research around introductions and trust in team settings, we have developed a novel approach for virtual introductions. This is what we term as asynchronous, semi-guided, professional introductions. Participants pre-record an introduction that uses a set of professionally-focused questions and watch these introductions prior to the meeting. Our study examines the impact of these introductions on virtual teams in three conditions: video, text, and no introduction. In this study, we used the Team Diagnostic Survey post-task completion to assess team effectiveness and interpersonal processes of 28 dyads. Thematic coding was used to collect dyads’ experience and engagement. The introduction conditions demonstrated significantly improved collaboration, effectiveness, and engagement amongst participants. Notably, the video condition was particularly well-received by participants and resulted in higher levels of engagement and effectiveness compared to the text and no introduction conditions. Ultimately, the use of these introductions led to a marked increase in trust and collaboration amongst participants. We reflect on the effects of this finding in the mainstream and propose further research to support newly-formed virtual dyadic teams to increase team effectiveness. This study contributes to the existing literature by introducing a novel asynchronous, semi-guided approach to virtual dyadic team introductions, offering insights crucial for contemporary remote work dynamics.

Ethical Challenges for Human–Agent Interaction in Virtual Collaboration at Work

In virtual collaboration at the workplace, a growing number of teams apply supportive conversational agents (CAs). They take on different work-related tasks for teams and single users such as scheduling meetings or stimulating creativity. Previous research merely focused on these positive aspects of introducing CAs at the workplace, omitting ethical challenges faced by teams using these often artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled technologies. Thus, on the one hand, CAs can present themselves as benevolent teammates, but on the other hand, they can collect user data, reduce worker autonomy, or foster social isolation by their service. In this work, we conducted 15 expert interviews with senior researchers from the fields of ethics, collaboration, and computer science in order to derive ethical guidelines for introducing CAs in virtual team collaboration. We derived 14 guidelines and seven research questions to pave the way for future research on the dark sides of human–agent interaction in organizations.

Influence of Technology Support, Digital Literacy, and Virtual Team Leadership on Maya Team Collaboration

In these lately years, teamwork already got considered to be matters more for every kind of organization. Working in teams helps people to be more flexible, productive, and creative than working alone, as well as to keep their jobs and be happier at work. This research was done on purpose to help defining the influence of digital literacy, technology support, and virtual team leadership toward virtual team collaboration in tertiary institutions in influencing the way virtual teams work together. In this study, the questionnaire used a Google Form, which was sent via email to the appropriate email address. The findings reveal that the three antecedent variables significantly influence virtual cooperation by 62.3%. This research theoretically has offered a virtual collaboration model that has been evaluated empirically in the field. In addition, this model has enlarged the elements that influence virtual team collaboration from several previous studies. The findings of this study apply to administrators in tertiary institutions who seek to increase collaboration between lecturers, especially in the fields of teaching, research, and publication. In this context, the antecedents of this virtual collaboration model can be considered

A Critical Review of Contemporary Trends and Challenges in Human Resource Management

Human Resource Management (HRM) has evolved from an administrative role to a strategic partner in business goals. Cultural, technological, and economic shifts have driven this trend. This academic paper examines current HRM trends and challenges to emphasize their relevance.HR analytics and AI have transformed human resource management (HRM) by enabling evidence-based decision-making, improving recruitment, and increasing employee engagement. This shift allows Human Resource Management (HRM) to align human efforts with corporate objectives, moving from an administrative role to a strategic partner in organizational decision-making. Globalization requires Human Resource Management to manage diverse and cross-cultural workforces. Current talent acquisition, communication facilitation, and dispute resolution need cultural awareness, emphasizing the importance of global capabilities for HR professionals. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated remote work, requiring HRM practices to adjust quickly. HR experts have adjusted recruitment, onboarding, virtual team collaboration, and mental health aid. These adjustments demonstrate the relevance of HRM in crisis management, corporate resilience, and employee well-being. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) have become increasingly significant, with HRM promoting diversity and inclusivity. Human Resource Management (HRM) promotes justice and inclusion across the employee lifecycle, from recruitment through career advancement. In conclusion, HRM's dynamic interaction with technology, globalization, remote work, and DEI efforts shows its strategic importance in managing complexity and seizing opportunities. Organizations must adapt their HRM methods to modern trends to ensure long-term profitability in a rapidly changing global economy. Keywords: Human Resource Management (HRM), Technology Integration, Globalization Impact, Remote Work, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Organizational Resilience

Cultural intelligence and COVID-induced virtual teams: Towards a conceptual framework for cross-cultural management studies

This article proposes a creative approach to cultural intelligence, as an individual’s capability to function effectively under the condition of cultural diversity. Virtual team collaboration, as stimulated by the COVID-19 pandemic, constitutes a novel, culturally diverse context. We explore how cultural intelligence may shed light onto the requirements of post-COVID virtual and hybrid team collaboration. The contribution of this article to cross-cultural management studies is thus conceptual: by using the concept of cultural intelligence creatively and beyond its classic application, we exemplify a way in which cross-cultural management studies remain relevant, in an increasingly virtual world of work wherein people travel less to other countries, wherein collaboration takes place online and remotely, and wherein national cultural boundaries intersect with other cultural diversity factors.

Metaverse in the Virtual Workplace

The emergence of digital technologies has significantly transformed the workplace by enhancing productivity and improving employee wellbeing. One of the latest technological advancements in the workplace is the metaverse, which has tremendous potential to facilitate collaboration in virtual teams. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to identify core research themes on applying metaverse in the workplace. Our findings reveal core themes, including an avatar, computer graphics, immersion, virtual world and virtual reality. We also developed a theoretical and conceptual framework to define a metaverse in the workplace, which includes individual, team and organizational factors as well as contextual moderators that influence its implementation. Finally, we propose a definition of a metaverse in the workplace as a 3D virtual immersive environment where employees interact with each other using their avatar identities, perform work tasks, and have autonomy and opportunities for creativity. Our study contributes to the growing body of research on the practical applications of a metaverse in the workplace. It highlights the importance of considering various factors for its successful implementation.

Teaching for a Digital World: Foundations, Practices, and Possibilities

Virtual teams have been adopted by organizations and studied for decades. However, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of technology-supported collaboration more than ever. This growing importance of virtual teamwork suggests that business education related to virtual team collaboration and communication is critical for students today, and universities play a significant role in equipping students with the knowledge and skillsets necessary to work in a digital world. This work reviews the literature on virtual teams and educational approaches used for teaching virtual team collaboration and communication and presents a framework for virtual team education. Survey findings and illustrative cases are gathered to demonstrate current virtual team education practices. The study concludes with recommendations for the education of virtual team knowledge and skills.

Use Ping Wisely: A Study of Team Communication and Performance under Lean Affordance

Improving virtual team collaboration has been a centerpiece of many computer mediated communication research efforts. Team collaboration presents unique challenges which are further exacerbated when such collaboration occurs in high-tempo environments that require “lean” communication affordances because they are not suited to traditional methods of rich communication such as text-based chat. Competitive multiplayer games can provide unique insights into how virtual teams communicate with limited communication affordance and under stress. In this work, we employed a mixed-method analysis of specific communication tools in a popular MOBA game Heroes of the Storm . Our study focuses on how players of the game use a gesturing communication system, called “Pings”, an example of lean communication affordance, to communicate within a team and its impact on team performance. We found that players appropriate the pings in distinct ways and exhibit different communication styles and these styles have different effects on the overall team performance. Our findings have implications for the design of emerging communication tools for virtual teams and can serve as guidelines to optimize communication in virtual teams.

Impact of emotional intelligence and personality traits on managing team performance in virtual interface

This research paper explores the implications of emotional intelligence and the Big Five personality model on virtual team effectiveness. It illustrates how emotional intelligence and Big Five personality traits help team members better understand interpersonal relationships and develop constructive virtual teams. The widespread use of virtual team meetings for collaborative work over in-person interaction with diverse personalities creates discord and trust among team members, limiting overall productivity. A quantitative analysis approach is used, with hypotheses tested and a series of multiple linear regression analyses performed on data collected from relevant industries using convenient sampling. The findings show that the Big Five personality affects the virtual team's trust and collaboration parameters. However, the relationship between personality traits and team effectiveness is mediated by emotional intelligence. Also, it is explored that having control over emotional intelligence or developing emotional intelligence would improve team performance while managing and working with a diverse group of people.

Stuck In The Middle: A Meta-Analysis On Innovation In Virtual Teams And The Role Of Media Richness

Organizations increasingly rely on virtual teams, whose members are working together from different locations utilizing electronic communication media. Simultaneously, organizations are dependent on the generation and implementation of new ideas to keep solving the world's problems with innovative solutions. In this context, prior research approaches highlighted both positive and negative aspects of virtual team collaboration but has not come to a consensus of how it affects team innovation. Therefore, this meta-analysis synthesizes 178 independent samples including a total of 11.577 teams to obtain in-depth insights into the impact of virtuality on team innovation. Considering the integrated assessment of team virtuality through the dimensions of geographical dispersion, electronic dependence, and cultural distance, no significant effect on team innovation was revealed. Induced by the equivocal findings, factors that possibly moderate this relationship were investigated. In doing so, our emphasis was placed on the richness of the communication medium that transcends the virtuality between the team members and enables them to jointly work on innovative tasks. Our results indicate that the relationship between team virtuality and team innovation varies with using media of different kinds of richness. Thus, conclusions about media choice for innovative tasks in virtual teams can be drawn.

Refining virtual cross-national research collaboration: drivers, affordances and constraints

PurposeThe study aims to explore and explain the affordances and constraints of two-mode virtual collaboration as experienced by a newly forming international research team.Design/methodology/approachThis is self-reflective and action-oriented research on the affordances and constraints of two-mode virtual collaboration. In the spirit of professional development, the authors (nine researchers at different career stages and from various counties) engaged in a joint endeavour to evaluate the affordances and constraints of virtual collaborations in light of the recent literature while also researching the authors' own virtual collaboration during this evaluative task (mid-January–April 2021). The authors used two modes: synchronous (Zoom) and asynchronous (emails) to communicate on the literature exploration and recorded reactions and emotional responses towards existing affordances and constraints through a collective journal.FindingsThe results suggest both affordances in terms of communication being negotiable and evolving and constraints, particularly in forming new relations given tools that may not be equally accessible to all. Journaling during collaborations could be a valuable tool, especially for virtual collective work, because it can be used to structure the team supported negotiation and discussion processes, especially often hidden processes. It is evident that the role of a leader can contribute to an alignment in the assumptions and experiences of trust and consequently foster greater mutual understanding of the circumstances for productive team collaborations.Originality/valueThe findings of this study can inform academics and practitioners on how to create and facilitate better opportunities for collaboration in virtual teams as a rapidly emerging form of technology-supported working.

Incorporating the student perspective in designing a virtual team classroom environment: an elaborated action design science research approach

PurposeThis paper aims to address the long-standing problem of suboptimal student team experiences for instructors and students by incorporating the student voice by co-creating a virtual team collaborative environment to improve team collaboration in the online classroom.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents a novel design science research approach and relates two elaborated action design science research (eADSR) cycles that design, implement and evaluate the student team experience in online courses requiring teamwork.FindingsThe outcome is a holistic view of a virtual team classroom environment specified with technologies and practices that may be employed to optimize the student team experience. The eADSR process yields non-obvious diagnoses and actionable steps for continually incorporating the ever-changing social aspects unique to students in addition to the evolving technological landscape.Practical implicationsThis paper is valuable to faculty members interested in applying eADSR processes to incorporate the student voice to address pedagogical and learning challenges in the classroom. Additionally, it provides a DSR-based model that can be implemented in the classroom to improve student team collaboration as well as transparency for the instructor and the students in terms of team member contributions with the goal to alleviate student and faculty frustrations. This topic is particularly relevant in light of COVID-19 as students and faculty alike are thrust into new online classroom environments.Originality/valueEmploying eADSR in the classroom is a novel and unique approach to create a replicable model for virtual team collaboration that can be added to the classroom.

Virtual and face-to-face team collaboration comparison through an agent-based simulation

Abstract The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the acceptance of virtual team collaboration as a replacement for face-to-face collaboration. Unlike face-to-face collaboration, virtual collaboration is influenced by unique factors, such as technology mediation. However, there is a lack of rigorous research that assesses the impact of virtual collaboration on the engineering design process. Therefore, the current study investigates the effect of virtual team collaboration on design outcomes by means of the MILANO (Model of Influence, Learning, and Norms in Organizations) framework. To tailor MILANO for virtual collaboration, this paper first presents an empirical study of human design teams, which shows how model parameter values for face-to-face collaboration (like self-efficacy, perceived influencers, perceived degree of influence, trust and familiarity) differ from appropriate parameter values for virtual collaboration. The simulation results for both virtual and face-to-face collaboration show how design outcomes differ with collaboration mode. Unlike teams with a few well-defined influential individuals, the mode of collaboration does not have a significant impact on teams where all individuals are equally influential. Virtual collaboration also results in lower exploration and variety than face-to-face collaboration.

The application of virtual teams in the improvement of enterprise management capability from the perspective of knowledge transfer

To clarify the problems existing in the process of knowledge transfer of virtual teams, the team cooperation optimization model is combined with the technological innovation capability under the neural network (NN) model, and it is expected to provide a reference for the knowledge management and technological innovation of enterprises. This study first explores the organization, collaboration, and management of virtual teams from the perspective of knowledge transfer. In addition, based on NN, the research and development (R&D) and innovation capabilities of enterprises are studied, and an evaluation index system is constructed. In the stage of empirical analysis, this study selects Enterprise A for research and analyzes the status quo and existing problems of this company. Then, this study proposes a set of schemes conducive to virtual team collaboration and comprehensively uses management theory to evaluate the application effect. The team collaboration model based on knowledge transfer is applied to the operation and management of the enterprise, which significantly improves the collaboration between the various departments of the enterprise and the fluidity of resources. An enterprise R&D capability evaluation system based on a NN model can comprehensively evaluate various index data, thereby prompting its further strategic management and investment. The virtual team collaboration model combined with the R&D technological innovation under the NN model can objectively evaluate the capabilities of the enterprise, thereby improving the management efficiency and benefiting the long-term development of the enterprise.

Dynamic boundaries in virtual student teams: Do we still need team cohesion?

Distance education is becoming a global phenomenon affecting student teamwork, especially since the recent COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. Nonetheless, research in management education on changes in team cohesion in student teams is still quite limited, and even less is known in the context of dynamic forms of modern virtual team collaboration. In the present study, we address this gap by exploring how dynamic boundaries affect team cohesion. We address this question through a study conducted across two editions of a cross-university course (spring 2018 and 2019). Results from the qualitative triangulated data collected from a multiple holistic case study composed of 11 virtual student teams (65 participants) suggest that in the virtual student teams, dynamic boundaries replace team cohesion with “participant alignment” and have differential effects on this novel concept. Our results contribute to the literature in management education and team dynamics and can be helpful in the academic and management practice, shifting the focus from team cohesion onto participant alignment as a new individual-level multidimensional concept. This could become an important aspect of successful virtual teams operating under the modern dynamic conditions.

Trust and Group Efficiency in Multinational Virtual Team Collaboration: A Longitudinal Study

Trust plays a central role in team collaboration, especially in multinational virtual teams. However, our understanding of how different types of trust interact to influence group work efficiency in this context is still limited. This study investigates the development of two types of trust and group efficiency over time in the multinational virtual team context. Three analysis phases were conducted in this research: phase 1 included a qualitative analysis of an online interview with 120 respondents in multinational virtual team collaborations over 5 weeks, phase 2 comprised a general analysis of the trust and group efficiency development with the same respondents, and phase 3 included a quantitative analysis of the interaction effects of trust on group efficiency. The results provide insights into the antecedents of group efficiency and reveal the trend of trust and group efficiency development over time. The authors also investigate trust and group efficiency from the deconstructed and decomposed perspectives. This study contributes to current research by providing evidence on the development of trust and group efficiency and by investigating the interaction effects of trust in the multinational virtual team collaboration context.

Show me your expertise before teaming up

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how communication practices influence individuals’ team assembly and performance in open innovation contests.Design/methodology/approachThis study analyzed behavioral trace data of 4,651 teams and 19,317 participants from a leading open innovation platform, Kaggle. The analyses applied weighted least squares regression and weighted mediation analysis.FindingsSharing online profiles positively relates to a person’s performance and likelihood of becoming a leader in open innovation teams. Team assembly effectiveness (one’s ability to team up with high-performing teammates) mediates the relationship between online profile sharing and performance. Moreover, sharing personal websites has a stronger positive effect on performance and likelihood of becoming a team leader, compared to sharing links to professional social networking sites (e.g. LinkedIn).Research limitations/implicationsAs team collaboration becomes increasingly common in open innovation, participants’ sharing of their online profiles becomes an important variable predicting their success. This study extends prior research on virtual team collaboration by highlighting the role of communication practices that occur in the team pre-assembly stage, as an antecedent of team assembly. It also addresses a long-standing debate about the credibility of information online by showing that a narrative-based online profile format (e.g. a personal website) can be more powerful than a standardized format (e.g. LinkedIn).Practical implicationsOpen innovation organizers should encourage online profile sharing among participants to facilitate effective team assembly in order to improve innovation outcomes.Originality/valueThe current study highlights the importance of team assembly in open innovation, especially the role of sharing online profiles in this process. It connects two areas of research that are previously distant, one on team assembly and one on online profile sharing. It also adds new empirical evidence to the discussion about online information credibility.