TY - GEN
T1 - Identity communication in virtual teams
T2 - 21st Americas Conference on Information Systems, AMCIS 2015
AU - Wilson, David W.
AU - Thatcher, Sherry M.B.
AU - Brown, Susan A.
AU - Harris, Sarah D.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Identity
KW - Mediated communication
KW - Semi-structured interviews
KW - Virtual teams
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84963527828&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84963527828&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84963527828
T3 - 2015 Americas Conference on Information Systems, AMCIS 2015
BT - 2015 Americas Conference on Information Systems, AMCIS 2015
PB - Americas Conference on Information Systems
Y2 - 13 August 2015 through 15 August 2015
ER -