Virtual interdisciplinary collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic: pain and joy in an international joint university

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought interdisciplinary academics and research students many uncertainties and challenges in adapting to new communication styles. Compared with other academics in the same field, interdisciplinary academics might face more challenges in transitioning from traditional face-to-face communication to virtual communication.

Objective

This study aimed to explore the pain and joy of using Western and Chinese localized communication channels in experienced interdisciplinary academics (N = 10) and young research students (N = 14) during the pandemic. Among them, 14 are Europeans and 10 are Chinese.

Method

Meeting records and participants' reflective writing were used as qualitative data.

Results

We identified five key themes: two were tied to personal and behavioral issues, two were involved in management issues, and one dealt with topic choice issues.

Conclusion

Considering that virtual interdisciplinary teamwork is likely to continue in the post-pandemic period, it is necessary to implement measures such as technical training and voluntary assistants to help alleviate some of the issues that make virtual meetings difficult for participants. Study limitations and future directions are also discussed.

Sharing leadership behaviors in virtual teams: effects of shared leadership behaviors on team member satisfaction and productivity

Purpose

Virtual collaboration in teams becomes increasingly popular at work. With the advantages of working in virtual teams come leadership challenges for which the shared leadership theory is discussed as a potential solution. While previous empirical studies investigating shared leadership in virtual teams generally confirm positive effects on team outcomes, this study aims to investigate in detail the leadership behaviors that are typically shared in these settings and how these shared leadership behaviors affect individual level outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

Individuals from different teams participated in a questionnaire study (n = 411). Structural equation modeling was used to assess the effects of shared task- and relations-oriented leadership behaviors on team member’s subjectively perceived productivity and satisfaction with leadership.

Findings

Results indicate that shared task-oriented leadership behaviors have a significant positive effect on subjectively perceived productivity and satisfaction with leadership, while relations-oriented leadership behaviors have a significant negative effect. A hypothesis stipulating a moderating effect of task interdependence was not confirmed.

Practical implications

Practical implications include that in virtual teams with hierarchical organizational structures, it may be recommended that task-oriented leadership behaviors are shared among team members, whereas relations-oriented leadership behaviors should remain the responsibility of the official leader.

Originality/value

The findings complement previous research with new insights on behavioral dimensions of shared leadership and their effects on outcomes on the level of the individual.

COVID-19 and individual performance in global virtual teams: The role of self-regulation and individual cultural value orientations

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, global virtual teams (GVTs) have become increasingly important. Drawing on conservation of resources theory and self-regulation theory, we examined the mechanism and process underlying individuals' performance in GVTs in this specific situation. We posit that the local severity of the pandemic has a negative effect on individuals' performance in GVTs and that self-regulation functions as a coping mechanism in times of pandemic-related ambient stress, reducing its negative effect on performance. We suggest that three cultural value orientations, that is, uncertainty avoidance, collectivism, and long-term orientation, explain different levels of self-regulation, which in turn moderates the relationship between the local severity of the pandemic and individual performance in GVTs. Based on a sample of 2727 individuals from 31 countries participating in an international business consulting project during the early stage of the unfolding pandemic, we show that (a) the local severity of the pandemic had a negative effect on individuals' performance, (b) the negative effect of the pandemic on performance is weaker for individuals with high self-regulation, and (c) uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation are positively associated with self-regulation, which mediates the moderating relationship between the cultural value orientations and the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and individual performance in GVTs.

Researching employee experiences and behavior in times of crisis: Theoretical and methodological considerations and implications for human resource management

Over the past 2 years, numerous empirical studies in the fields of human resource management, organizational behavior, and industrial, work, and organizational psychology have investigated employee experiences and behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of this paper is to take a step back and to outline several theoretical and methodological considerations when researching employee experiences and behavior in times of crisis more generally. These insights may be useful when developing conceptual models, designing empirical studies, and managing people in the context of future crises. We first review theoretical approaches that could be applied to explain changes in employee experiences and behavior in times of crisis, including stress theories, theories of adjustment to work-related changes, career construction theory, event system theory, transition-adaptation theories, the crisis management and resilience framework, and the social identity model of identity change. Second, we outline methodological considerations and best practices regarding the research design of quantitative empirical studies, sampling, measurement, and analytic strategies. Throughout, we highlight empirical studies on employee experiences and behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic that have adopted these theoretical approaches and methodological best practices. We conclude with several suggestions for future theory development and empirical studies on employee experiences and behavior as well as human resource management in times of crisis.

[Successful knowledge exchange in virtual teams-how important is social presence?]

Effective knowledge sharing is a key process for the success of virtual teams. Several specific challenges like the information technology used, the geographical distribution and the lack of personal contact between team members make it difficult to share knowledge.Current studies on influencing factors of effective knowledge sharing in virtual teams focus either mainly on technical or social factors. In contrast, little attention has been paid to the role of social presence as an interdisciplinary construct. Social presence means the individual or joint experience of a sense of togetherness despite physical distance, which arises in the interaction between the team members while using the existing technology.The present study examines to what extent the experience of social presence influences the success of knowledge sharing in virtual teams.Based on the Critical Incident Technique 26 interviews were conducted with members of virtual teams. The participants described situations in which the virtual knowledge exchange was successful or unsuccessful. The evaluation showed that social presence occurred more frequently in successful situations and emphasized its significance for a successful exchange of knowledge.Practical relevance: Social presence can be positively influenced by media richness and support social processes and relationships in virtual teams. The results can be used to derive implications for virtual collaboration with the aim of optimizing knowledge sharing processes.

Something Old or Something New?

Abstract. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced organizations to adjust co-located teams to virtual teams instantly. The applicability of known success factors for virtual teamwork to this situation is uncertain. Therefore, this study addresses the following research question: what factors relate to successful team adjustment to the new virtual work context? We hypothesize that perceived team success is influenced by individual and team factors and that these effects of team-related factors on perceived team success are moderated by team processes and team-/task-technology fit. A time-lagged online study was conducted at two timepoints during the initial lockdown in Germany with N = 110 employees working in teams. We found trust, task-technology fit, and communication to be significantly associated with perceived team performance. The results suggest that the instant adjustment might have led to a new phase related to team cycle episodes. We propose guidelines to prepare teams for future instant adjustments.