Towards a better understanding of virtual team effectiveness: an integration of trust

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to expand the traditional input-process-output (IPO) models of team effectiveness to address the dynamic and distal work arrangements prevalent in the 21st century. Considering the critical role that trust plays in driving virtual team effectiveness, I proposed a model of virtual team effectiveness in which cognitive and affective trust dimensions mediate the relationships between team processes (action, transition, and interpersonal) and outcomes (team viability and performance). Participants were 191 undergraduate students who comprised 49 teams. Survey measures were completed following each of three interdependent tasks in which teams engaged. Multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM), an innovative statistical technique that combines the benefits of multilevel modeling and structural equation modeling), was used to test hypotheses. The results of the analyses supported the mediational hypotheses at the individual level, but not at the team level of analysis.