How Do Virtual Teams Work Efficiently

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 16-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Chieh Liu ◽  
Janice M. Burn

Virtual teams are groups of members collaborating in the execution of a specific task from disperse locations. Increasing use of virtual teams has highlighted the need for organizations to focus on ways to improve their performance. The key issues of concern include both technical and social dimensions, and this research study addresses the latter. Hence, this study derives a social relationship model from a comprehensive literature review and conducts an experiment to validate this through SEM (structural equation modeling). The results reveal: (1) communication has a direct positive impact on relationship building, but indirect positive effects on performance and satisfaction; (2) relationship building impacts directly with strong and positive impacts on cohesion and trust, but indirectly with strong impacts on performance and satisfaction; (3) cohesion has a direct, strong, and positive impact on performance, but a strong indirect impact on satisfaction; (4) trust has a positive direct impact on performance, but an indirect positive impact on satisfaction; and (5) performance has a strong and positive impact on satisfaction. In addition, this study confirms that relationship building is a vital mediator in the social relationship model. Managerial implications and future research directions are identified.

2010 ◽  
pp. 1552-1573
Author(s):  
Ying Chieh Liu ◽  
Janice M. Burn

Virtual teams are groups of members collaborating in the execution of a specific task from disperse locations. Increasing use of virtual teams has highlighted the need for organizations to focus on ways to improve their performance. The key issues of concern include both technical and social dimensions, and this research study addresses the latter. Hence, this study derives a social relationship model from a comprehensive literature review and conducts an experiment to validate this through SEM (structural equation modeling). The results reveal: (1) communication has a direct positive impact on relationship building, but indirect positive effects on performance and satisfaction; (2) relationship building impacts directly with strong and positive impacts on cohesion and trust, but indirectly with strong impacts on performance and satisfaction; (3) cohesion has a direct, strong, and positive impact on performance, but a strong indirect impact on satisfaction; (4) trust has a positive direct impact on performance, but an indirect positive impact on satisfaction; and (5) performance has a strong and positive impact on satisfaction. In addition, this study confirms that relationship building is a vital mediator in the social relationship model. Managerial implications and future research directions are identified.


Author(s):  
Ying Chieh Liu

Although virtual teams have been widely utilized nowadays, social relationships are considered highly problematic within virtual teams. This study addresses social dimensions to provide suggestions for mangers to improve the performance and satisfaction of virtual teams. We build a model derived from a comprehensive literature review and conduct an experiment to validate it through Structural Equation Modeling. The results reveal: (1) communication has a direct positive impact on relationship building, but indirect positive effects on performance and satisfaction; (2) relationship building impacts directly with strong and positive impacts on cohesion and trust, but indirectly with strong impacts on performance and satisfaction ; (3) cohesion has a direct, strong and positive impact on performance but a strong indirect impact on satisfaction; (4) trust has a positive direct impact on performance but an indirect positive impact on satisfaction; (5) performance has a strong and positive impact on satisfaction. In addition, this study confirms that relationship building is a vital mediator in the social relationship model. Managerial implications and future research directions are identified.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 521-539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rimantas Gatautis† ◽  
Egle Vaiciukynaite ◽  
Asta Tarute

Purpose Business model innovations (BMIs), their drivers and outcomes are attracting increasing attention in academic literature. However, previous studies have mainly focused on large companies, while knowledge of BMI in small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is limited. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to add new insights into how related BMI drivers, practices and outcomes are in relation to SMEs. Design/methodology/approach An extensive review of the existing literature was performed. Consequently, the relationships between BMI drivers, BMI practices and outcomes of BMI were developed as a conceptual framework. An empirical study was carried out. A structural equation modeling (SEM) procedure was used to empirically test the model using a quantitative data set of Lithuanian SMEs (n=73). Findings The study provides insights into the relations between BMI drivers, BMI practices and outcomes of BMI in SMEs. The findings of SEM, four drivers (innovation activities, strategic orientation, market and technology turbulence, respectively) are indicated to contribute to BMI of SMEs. In addition, the results proved that the implementation of BMI practices leads to strategic and architectural changes in firms and has a positive impact on SMEs performance and innovativeness. Research limitations/implications Empirical research is focused on a limited number of internal and external BMI drivers, which have an influence on BMI in SMEs from one geographical region. Consequently, there are many external and internal BMI drivers which also may have an influence on BMI in SMEs, such as industry life cycle, organizational inertia and leadership. Meanwhile, SMEs possess multiple characteristics, i.e. a phase of maturity, gender of CEO, firm size and industry; therefore, the aforesaid aspects are considered to be significant limitations. In addition, the importance of SMEs characteristics as mediators for the effects on a firm’s performance and innovativeness should be considered in future research avenues. Practical implications Findings of this research can be used by SME managers to better understand how firms might actively engage in BMI practices, what drivers lead to BMI and, in turn, affect their firm’s performance and innovativeness. SME managers should be encouraged to pay attention to strategic and architectural changes of BM that can contribute to enterprise performance and innovativeness. Originality/value This paper adds to the stream of BMI research by empirically exploring drivers and outcomes of BMI in SMEs. In addition, this paper fulfills research gaps proposed by Bouwman et al. (2018), Foss and Saebi (2017), Heikkilä, Bouwman and Heikkilä (2018) and Lambert and Davidson (2013), and enhances the current overall understanding of BMIs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 194-211
Author(s):  
Nicolas Julian Seyler ◽  
Jan Mutl

Purpose Building performance does not only depend on its efficiency but also on the behaviors of its occupants. Occupant behaviors can more than offset technological efficiency gains so, that corporate real estate (CRE) managers have to go beyond sustainable buildings. CRE managers need to understand occupants to effectively reduce the environmental impact of their building portfolio. This paper aims to investigate the effects of environmental attitudes and mindfulness on occupant behaviors at home and at the office. Thereby, the authors address numerous calls for research regarding the drivers of more environmental real estate user behaviors. Design/methodology/approach The authors use partial least squares structural equation modeling based on self-report data obtained for a representative German sample. Findings The results show that environmental attitudes and mindfulness have both positive effects on occupant behaviors. However, the effects tend to be weaker in the office context. Research limitations/implications This study relies on self-reports as an indicator of actual behaviors. Besides, the findings are limited by the cross-sectional nature of the data. Practical implications Environmental education and mindfulness training may be an effective way to promote more environmental occupant behaviors and help CRE managers to further reduce the environmental impact of their building portfolio. Originality/value The paper contributes to prior research about the antecedents of environmental behaviors and provides evidence for the positive impact of environmental attitudes and mindfulness on occupant behaviors. The author provide a new approach for CRE managers, which may improve occupant behaviors.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Le Thi Thanh Ha ◽  
Vo Thanh Thu

PurposeThis paper examines whether guests contribute sWOM (social word of mouth) on different SNSs (social networking sites) regarding various personal motivations. SNSs have changed the way guests eat and experience their food and dishes. Marketing managers have effectively targeted SNSs as a marketing tool, yet have little research about drivers of guests' sWOM contribution on SNSs has been done. A model including the significant motives: (1) experiences, (2) opinion leadership, (3) reflection of self and (4) need for unique is tested to investigate their positive effects on contribution behavior of social media guests.Design/methodology/approachThe data collected from 411 guests by using the snowball method was used for analysis. The structural equation modeling was applied to examine the relationships among the constructs and test the eight proposed hypotheses.FindingsResults reveal that experiences, opinion leadership, reflection of self and need for unique were positively associated with contributing sWOM of restaurants. Furthermore, those who have positive experiences tend to be opinion leadership and reflection of self. And guests who show reflection of self, they are more likely to have opinion leaders and show need for uniqueness. Our study expands the existing frameworks of sWOM contribution by identifying various motivations and labeling sWOM. Findings provide restaurant managers with managerial implications for online marketing strategies on SNSs to attract sWOM contribution among guests.Research limitations/implicationsIt has some limitations while discovering the motivations of positive sWOM contribution. First, we only focused on the motivation of contributing positive sWOM, while negative sWOM received many arguments in changing attitudes toward buying products or services. Second, we collected data in Vietnam only without comparing with different countries. Future research could explore further cross-cultural perspectives to fill the gap. Third, this study explored sWOM contribution in service environment, sWOM contribution from service context may be slightly different from those of product brands.Practical implicationsThese findings highlight the motivations of sWOM contribution that restaurant managers must recognize and make use of it. SNSs have given power to consumers to post everything at anytime and anywhere they like, therefore restaurant managers need to deeply understand why their consumers contribute sWOM. In digital era, customers and guests have become the ultimate tools for promoting product or service brands. The marketing managers should create an online platform in order to facilitate their consumers to discuss their brand frequently (Charu et al., 2018). Restaurants should have policies to push positive eWOM maximally and also reduce advertising costs.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies on sWOM contribution of what motivate guests to contribute their sWOM on SNSs. Theoretically, this study offers deep insights into the links between various motivations and sWOM in foodservice context. Managerially, understanding these motivations allow marketing managers create effective policies that motivate guests to contribute positive word of mouth.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 633-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adela Chen ◽  
Nicholas Roberts

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether four motives – conformity, enhancement, social and coping – mediate relationships between four personality types – agreeableness, extraversion, neuroticism and openness to experience – and social networking site (SNS) addiction. Impulse control is included as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a survey to collect data at two points in time from 304 SNS users. Structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. Findings Empirical results show that conformity, enhancement and coping motives act as mediators between various personality types and SNS addiction. Furthermore, impulse control weakens the effects of two motives – enhancement and social – on SNS addiction. Research limitations/implications The research model included only four motives. Future research could investigate other motivational mechanisms and moderators. The research method surveyed university students in the USA; thus, results may not generalize to a different user population. The method also included only one SNS, Facebook. Originality/value The paper contributes to the literature by showing that motives of SNS use connect personality to SNS addiction. This study also shows that self-reflective factors like impulse control can reduce the positive effects of motives on SNS addiction.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 3509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taegoo Kim ◽  
Osman Karatepe ◽  
Gyehee Lee ◽  
Hande Demiral

Male and female consumers differ in terms of decision-making. This is also true for inexperienced and experienced consumers. Although the extant research delineates studies that have centered on the interrelationships between perceived ease of use (PEU), perceived enjoyment (PE), perceived usefulness (PU), attitude toward using social media (ATUSM), and users’ behavioral intentions, there is still a dearth of empirical research about gender and prior experience as the two potential moderators. With this recognition, our study examines gender and prior experience as moderators of the effects of PEU, PE, and PU on ATUSM. Our study also investigates ATUSM as a full mediator of the impacts of PEU, PE, and PU on users’ intentions to attend festivals (IAF). Data came from the students of the Korean Government Scholarship Program. The results from structural equation modeling reveal that the positive influence of PE on ATUSM is stronger among female users. As expected, the positive impact of PU on ATUSM is stronger for male users. As hypothesized, prior experience strengthens the positive effects of PE and PU on ATUSM. The results further reveal that ATUSM fully mediates the effects of PE and PU on IAF. Based on the aforesaid findings, theoretical implications are discussed and managerial implications to enhance business sustainability are offered.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 749-774 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tahir Iqbal ◽  
Muhammad Shakeel Sadiq Jajja ◽  
Mohammad Khurrum Bhutta ◽  
Shahzad Naeem Qureshi

PurposeLean (TQM and JIT) and agile manufacturing (AM) are viewed as strategic capabilities that can help firms to meet diverse set of market demands. However, the question whether lean manufacturing and AM are complementary or competing capabilities is still open to discussion. This research proposes an integrated research framework that draws on complementary theory, theory of systems, and concept of fit to examine this question regarding these two strategic capabilities.Design/methodology/approachData are collected from 248 apparel exporting firms, and the proposed model is evaluated using structural equation modeling.FindingsResults show that lean manufacturing, AM, and supporting management and infrastructural practices have positive and complementary effects on firm's performance. Further, results depict that lean manufacturing and AM complementarity is a complete organizational synergistic phenomenon, and piecemeal implementation of these initiatives may lead to suboptimal or unsatisfactory results. Results also indicate that there is no significant direct (correlated and uncorrelated) relationship of management, infrastructure, lean manufacturing, and AM practices with firm's performance and support that lean manufacturing and AM are not competing paradigms.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is based on cross-sectional data from one industry. Future research should collect data from diverse sectors in different countries.Practical implicationsThis study provides a key insight for manufacturing managers that piecemeal implementation of lean manufacturing and AM does not yield optimal outcomes. In addition, study suggests that lean manufacturing and AM complementarity builds on strong foundation of strategic management and internal and external infrastructure. Therefore, managers should focus on development of skilled and empowered human resources, technological advancements, and learning and virtually integrated organizations for effective implementation of lean manufacturing and AM.Originality/valueProposed framework is one of the first, if not the first, that seeks to resolve the question: whether lean manufacturing and AM are complementary or competing capabilities. Complementary effects of lean manufacturing and AM along with management, internal infrastructure, and common external infrastructure practices have positive impact on performance. This study also segregated infrastructure practices into internal and common external infrastructure practices.


Author(s):  
Ashish A. Thatte ◽  
Vikas Agrawal ◽  
Shahnawaz Muhammed

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">The twenty first century organization is required to provide accurate on time deliveries in addition to providing high quality products at low costs. This can be achieved if various processes within and between the organizations are streamlined and well defined. Several studies have indicated the significance of various manufacturing (or internal) practices that are instrumental in creating time-based competitive capability. Collaborative relations and information sharing practices with suppliers have long been believed to positively impact the responsiveness and delivery performance of organizations and supply chains. Responsive suppliers can play a key role in affecting a firm&rsquo;s own delivery performance. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>This research investigates and tests the relationships between information sharing practices of a firm, supplier network responsiveness, and delivery dependability of a firm. The large scale web-based survey yielded 294 responses from industry professionals in the manufacturing and supply chain area. The proposed relationships were tested using structural equation modeling. The research findings point out that higher level of information sharing practices can lead to improved supplier network responsiveness, and higher levels of supplier network responsiveness can have a direct positive impact on delivery dependability of a firm. The implications of our findings are discussed and directions for future research are provided.</span></span></p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 1799-1821
Author(s):  
Naeem Akhtar ◽  
Muhammad Nadeem Akhtar ◽  
Umar Iqbal Siddiqi ◽  
Muhammad Riaz ◽  
Weiqing Zhuang

PurposeThe present study develops a conceptual model that shows how the manipulation attributes of word choice, sentence fluency, convention of meaning, and organization of sentence structure in online hotel reviews are connected to linguistic errors, such as spelling and grammar and argument errors, how such errors intensify the likelihood that messages will be misunderstood, and how these misunderstandings affect customers' responses.Design/methodology/approachA structured questionnaire was employed to collect data from 591 inbound tourists in Beijing, China. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 25.0 and Amos Graphics 23.0. Descriptive analysis was performed to explain the sociodemographic characteristic of respondents. Structural equation modeling was performed to examine hypothesized relationships.FindingsResults demonstrate that manipulation attributes increase linguistic errors, and two linguistic errors have profound positive effects on customers' understanding of meaning, which influence their responses in the form of negative online ratings and low purchase intentions.Originality/valueThe study's findings contribute to the literature on hospitality, linguistics, and consumer behavior, and have managerial implications for online review websites, online travel agents, and hotel management. Research limitations lead to suggestions for future research for hospitality scholars.


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