Abstract
Increasingly, organizational work is conducted by virtual teams interacting across boundaries of space and time. Despite advances in collaborative technologies, members of virtual teams often find the experience challenging and a far cry from physically "being there." In response, immersive and interactive three-dimensional collaborative virtual environments (3D CVEs) are emerging and purported to address the shortcoming of earlier technologies. How teams will interact and ultimately perform in a 3D environment remains to be seen. In this study, drawing from group and communication theories, we explore the link between collaborative behaviors and the performance of virtual teams working in a 3D CVE. We report on the results of a controlled experiment consisting of 39 virtual teams of 91 individuals. Through cluster analysis, we identify distinct patterns of collaborative behaviors associated with differential levels of performance. Our findings provide a deeper understanding of how the unique spatial and visual characteristics of 3D CVEs may transform virtual work.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 451-476 |
| Number of pages | 26 |
| Journal | Decision Sciences |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 1 2011 |
Keywords
- 3D Collaborative Virtual Environments
- Cluster Analysis
- Collaborative Technologies
- Mediated Communication
- Virtual Teams
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Business, Management and Accounting
- Strategy and Management
- Information Systems and Management
- Management of Technology and Innovation