Leadership Behaviors in Virtual Team Meetings Taking Place in a 3D Virtual World

Virtual teams (VTs), collaborating through technology towards common goals, are a typical way of organizing work in global organizations. Collaborative technologies, such as 3D virtual worlds (VWs), make it possible for VTs to keep meetings in a shared virtual space. This study investigates VT leadership taking place in a VW. We analyzed VW meeting recordings and member interviews for tracking how leadership functions were shared in a VT. Our study shows that the designated leader played a prominent role in coordinating the team towards the group's common goals. Although leadership functions were to some degree shared, the members wished that the leader had been more determined and their own roles more fluid. This indicates that a balance between leader's control and members' freedom is a challenge that has to be managed by the VT leader. The multiple channels supported by the VW were important for both leader's and members' participation.

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