An examination of the relationship among structure, trust, and conflict management styles in virtual teams

Abstract

The emergence of new technologies has made it increasingly easy for distributed collaboration in both educational and noneducational settings. Although the effectiveness in traditional settings of the dynamics of small group work has been widely researched, there is limited research that offers evidence on how teams can work effectively in a virtual environment. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship among team structure, trust, and conflict management style, in addition to their impact on teamwork effectiveness in a virtual environment. An experimental design was used to assess the effects of structure on team performance. Forty‐four groups, divided into hierarchical and nonhierarchical groups, worked on an online simulation project in an online MBA course. The results suggest that team structure is strongly associated with team performance, whereas trust and a collaboration conflict management style contribute to teamwork satisfaction.

Building Effective Virtual Learning Teams Through Enhanced Team Processes

“…Conflict arises from the discrepancies in team members' attitudes, behavior, opinions, perceptions, thinkings, and ways of doing things (Liu et al, 2008;Tseng & Ku, 2011). Scholars no longer regard conflict as an issue in the team development.…”

“…Scholars no longer regard conflict as an issue in the team development. Rather, a conflict has been viewed as a significant component of team dynamics (Liu et al, 2008) because team processes are not unchanging social interaction patterns (Tseng & Ku, 2011). In the virtual learning team, conflicts could relate to the work of the team itself or the roles and responsibilities assigned to team members within the team (Staggers et al, 2008).…”

“…Collaboration occurs when interaction is very important to goal attainment, and this style focuses on problem-solving in a collaborative fashion (Paul et al, 2004;Liu et al, 2008). In examining the roles of team structure, trust, and conflict in the effectiveness of virtual teamwork, Liu, Magjuka, and Lee (2008) proposed that the level of trust has a positive association with the collaborative conflict management style. In a team with high trust, team members have a tendency to cooperate with one another and expend efforts to identify conflict solutions by integrating various points of view.…”

“…Forming virtual teams can offer a range of benefits, including cultivating a community of learners, nurturing constructive dialogue and knowledge exchange, stimulating deeper processing of content through interaction, and encouraging adaptable alternatives to complex tasks (Kabilan, Adlinda, & Embi, 2011;Liu et al, 2008;Makani et al, 2016;Tseng et al, 2009). Subsequently, improved productivity, elevated morale, and advanced innovation are often identified in the booming virtual learning teams (Beranek & French, 2011).…”

Experiential Learning with Global Virtual Teams: Developing Intercultural and Virtual Competencies

“…Second, it specifically measured perceptions of difficulty directly related with the virtual aspect -distant coordination and administration. Students rated, on a scale of 1 (minimal level) to 5 (maximum level), their perceptions of difficulty arising from 1) coordination of time zones (Sutanto, Kankanhalli & Tan, 2011), 2) differences in personal abilities (Liu, Magjuka & Lee, 2008), 3) coordination of work (Flammia, Cleary & Slattery, 2010;Liu, Magjuka & Lee, 2008), 4) electronic-virtual means of communication (Sutanto, Kankanhalli & Tan, 2011), 5) lack of authority and clear leadership (Caligiuri & Tarique, 2012;Flammia, Cleary & Slattery, 2010;Jonsen & Maznevski, 2010;Maznevski & DiStefano, 2000), and 6) differences in motivation of members (Liu, Magjuka & Lee, 2008). It was hypothesized that the experimental group, after completing the X-Culture project, would report higher levels of perceived difficulties related with these aspects of the GVT.…”