Keywords

virtual teams, identity communication, technology-mediated collaboration

Abstract

Virtual teams play an increasingly important role in the modern economy, and many organizations struggle to overcome the weaknesses inherent in technology-mediated work. Identity communication has been shown to greatly improve individual- and group-level outcomes in offline settings, but these benefits have not been investigated in the context of virtual teams, where mediated interaction can reduce the opportunity for identity communication. Building on prior media theories, we develop and test a model explaining how technology can enable identity communication in virtual settings. Using a controlled experiment (N=186), we test our hypotheses and find strong support for the proposed model. Our study has important implications for researchers seeking to understand identity communication via technology and for practitioners hoping to improve virtual team communication and collaboration.

Original Publication Citation

Wilson, David W., Thatcher, Sherry M. B., and Brown, Susan A., “Media capabilities that support identity communication in virtual teams” (2015), 48th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Kauai, HI.

Document Type

Conference Paper

Publication Date

2015

Publisher

48th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Information Systems Management

University Standing at Time of Publication

Assistant Professor

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