The implications of high virtuality on the collaboration, creativity and innovation of virtual teams

Abstract

The proliferation of telecommunication technology, globalisation and the recent COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the widespread adoption of virtual work within organisations and teams. While the benefits of increased virtuality have been well-researched at an individual level, research on team implications – especially for team collaboration, creativity and innovation - has been limited. This study explores the implications of high virtuality of work on team collaboration, creativity and innovation by adopting an exploratory, qualitative research design. Fifteen semi-structured interviews with participants and managers of virtual teams across eight industries provide insights that are utilised to generate the findings of the study. Two of the key findings of the study that contribute to the literature on virtual teams is the insight that increased demand on virtual collaborators due to high virtuality of work has resulted in negative implications for knowledge sharing and decision-making of virtual teams impacting creativity. The second key finding relates to the changing nature of virtual relations to become more transactional and has implications for the motivation and leadership of virtual teams. Lastly, the concludes by providing recommendations for managers and organisations on how to promote the positive benefits of collaboration and creativity within virtual teams, which was previously experienced in face-to-face teams.