Identity Communication in Virtual Teams: Insights from Interviews with Working Professionals

Organizations are increasingly using virtual teams to gain competitive advantages in the marketplace, but managers face a tradeoff between the benefits that such virtual teams provide and their inherent weaknesses. This paper examines identity communication in virtual environments, arguing that identity communication can counteract some of the negative aspects of virtual teamwork. Using coded transcriptions from 35 semi-structured interviews with working professionals who participate in virtual teams, we explore the process of identity communication in virtual teams and the role of technology in influencing and enabling these processes. Using established identity and media theories as a guide, we formulate, and then refine, a framework to summarize consistent themes in the interview data. Our findings lay the groundwork for future theoretical development in this relevant area of research, and we argue that further advances in this domain will allow organizations to more effectively leverage a virtual workforce with effective collaboration technologies.

[1]  Jeffrey T. Polzer,et al.  Should we create a niche or fall in line? Identity negotiation and small group effectiveness. , 2000, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[2]  Martin Kilduff,et al.  Special Issue: Frontiers of Organization Science, Part 1 of 2: Zooming In and Out: Connecting Individuals and Collectivities at the Frontiers of Organizational Network Research , 2005, Organ. Sci..

[3]  Richard L. Daft,et al.  Organizational information requirements, media richness and structural design , 1986 .

[4]  Gurpreet Dhillon,et al.  A Framework and Guidelines for Context-Specific Theorizing in Information Systems Research , 2014, Inf. Syst. Res..

[5]  Susan A. Brown,et al.  Examining Predictors and Outcomes of Identity Communication in Virtual Teams , 2015, ECIS.

[6]  N. Krämer,et al.  The Relationship of Self-Esteem, Extraversion, Self-Efficacy, and Self-Presentation Within Social Networking Sites , 2008 .

[7]  Jeffrey T. Polzer,et al.  Capturing the Elusive 'Value in Diversity' Effect: Individuation, Self-Verification and Performance in Small Groups , 2001 .

[8]  Robert O. Briggs,et al.  Facilitation Roles and Responsibilities for Sustained Collaboration Support in Organizations , 2012, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[9]  Sherry M. B. Thatcher,et al.  Does It Really Matter If You Recognize Who I Am? The Implications of Identity Comprehension for Individuals in Work Teams† , 2008 .

[10]  James D. Westphal,et al.  Identity Confirmation Networks and Cooperation in Workgroups , 2005 .

[11]  Heeseok Lee,et al.  The Impact of Information Technology and Transactive Memory Systems on Knowledge Sharing, Application, and Team Performance: A Field Study , 2010, MIS Q..

[12]  Michael D. Myers,et al.  The qualitative interview in IS research: Examining the craft , 2007, Inf. Organ..

[13]  Matthew B. Miles,et al.  Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook , 1994 .

[14]  Amy Wrzesniewski,et al.  Knowing Where You Stand: Physical Isolation, Perceived Respect, and Organizational Identification Among Virtual Employees , 2012, Organ. Sci..

[15]  Traci Carte,et al.  A Capabilities-Based Theory of Technology Deployment in Diverse Teams: Leapfrogging the Pitfalls of Diversity and Leveraging Its Potential with Collaborative Technology , 2004, J. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[16]  Jane E. Dutton,et al.  Pathways for Positive Identity Construction at Work: Four Types of Positive Identity and the Building of Social Resources , 2010 .

[17]  J. Dutton,et al.  INTERPERSONAL SENSEMAKING AND THE MEANING OF WORK , 2003 .

[18]  Suprateek Sarker,et al.  Using an adapted grounded theory approach for inductive theory building about virtual team development , 2000, DATB.

[19]  Janice M. Beyer,et al.  Building on the Past: Enacting Established Personal Identities in a New Work Setting , 2002, Organ. Sci..

[20]  V. Rich.  Out of sight out of mind? , 1975, Nature.

[21]  Laku Chidambaram,et al.  Is Out of Sight, Out of Mind? An Empirical Study of Social Loafing in Technology-Supported Groups , 2005, Inf. Syst. Res..

[22]  Anthony R. Hendrickson,et al.  Virtual teams: Technology and the workplace of the future , 1998 .

[23]  Americus Reed,et al.  The self-importance of moral identity. , 2002 .

[24]  Robin M. Kowalski,et al.  Impression management: A literature review and two-component model. , 1990 .

[25]  S. Hobfoll.  Conservation of resources. A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. , 1989, The American psychologist.

[26]  Fiona Lee,et al.  Connecting the Dots Within , 2008, Psychological science.

[27]  Xiumei Zhu,et al.  Changing Identities in a Changing Workplace: Identification, Identity Enactment, Self-Verification, and Telecommuting , 2006 .

[28]  K. Aquino,et al.  The self-importance of moral identity. , 2002, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[29]  Lakshmi Ramarajan,et al.  Past , Present and Future Research on Multiple Identities : Toward an Intrapersonal Network Approach , 2014 .

[30]  S. Whitbourne,et al.  The Developing Self in Midlife , 1999 .

[31]  Sherry M. B. Thatcher,et al.  SUBJECTIVE IDENTITIES AND IDENTITY COMMUNICATION PROCESSES IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TEAMS , 2003 .

[32]  Alan R. Dennis,et al.  Media, Tasks, and Communication Processes: A Theory of Media Synchronicity , 2008, MIS Q..

[33]  Eileen M. Trauth,et al.  Understanding Computer-Mediated Discussions: Positivist and Interpretive Analyses of Group Support System Use , 2000, MIS Q..

[34]  Jeffrey T. Polzer,et al.  Capitalizing on Diversity: Interpersonal Congruence in Small Work Groups , 2001 .

[35]  Ritu Agarwal,et al.  Through a Glass Darkly: Information Technology Design, Identity Verification, and Knowledge Contribution in Online Communities , 2007, Inf. Syst. Res..

[36]  Sherry L. Willis,et al.  Life in the middle: Psychological and social development in middle age. , 1999 .

[37]  Susan A. Brown,et al.  Media Capabilities that Support Identity Communication in Virtual Teams , 2015, 2015 48th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[38]  Atreyi Kankanhalli,et al.  Conflict and Performance in Global Virtual Teams , 2006, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[39]  J. H. Frey,et al.  The Interview: From Structured Questions to Negotiated Text , 2000 .

[40]  Justin M. Berg,et al.  in Cyberspace : How Boundary Work in Online Social Networks Impacts Professional Relationships , 2013 .

[41]  M. Neale,et al.  Research on managing groups and teams , 1998 .

[42]  Viswanath Venkatesh,et al.  A Longitudinal Investigation of Personal Computers in Homes: Adoption Determinants and Emerging Challenges , 2001, MIS Q..

[43]  Michel Avital,et al.  Designing interviews to generate rich data for information systems research , 2011, Inf. Organ..

[44]  Nicole B. Ellison,et al.  Managing Impressions Online: Self-Presentation Processes in the Online Dating Environment , 2006, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..

[45]  David W. Wilson,et al.  Saving face on Facebook: privacy concerns, social benefits, and impression management , 2018, ICIS.