Relational capital in virtual teams: the role played by trust

Abstract

The study of social capital has emerged as a key construct in work and organizational contexts. Trust is its relational dimension and it is relevant for teams working in virtual environments. The purpose of our study is to determine whether the relationship between virtuality level (based on the characteristics of the technology used by each group) and three team-effectiveness criteria (group performance, group process satisfaction and group cohesion) is moderated by group trust climate or relational capital (i.e. trust perceptions shared by team members). A laboratory experiment was carried out with groups randomly assigned to two virtuality levels (videoconference and computer-mediated communication) and a control condition (face-to-face communication). Sixty-six 4-member teams made up the sample. Results indicated that group trust climate moderates the relationship between the virtuality level and group process satisfaction and group cohesion when the virtuality level is high. These results provide further evidence that relational capital plays an important role in virtual teams' effectiveness.

Assessing Trust and Effectiveness in Virtual Teams: Latent Growth Curve and Latent Change Score Models

“…Similar differences in team process were observed by Wilson et al (2006) for trust and cooperation. Additionally, Zornoza et al (2009) demonstrate that trust climate in a group moderates the relationship between virtuality level and the effectiveness of the group. Finally, an additional and important finding is provided by Wilson et al (2006) who demonstrate that even one face-to-face interaction between virtual team members can mitigate the decrement introduced by technology and elevate trust and cooperation up to levels occurring in face-to face teams.…”

Trust in work teams: An integrative review, multilevel model, and future directions

“…Looking at different trust foundations, Kirkman, Rosen, Gibson, Tesluk, and McPherson (2002) found that trust in virtual teams grows through team member reliability, consistency, and responsiveness when dealing with teammates. Research has further shown that the detrimental effect of computer-mediated communication on trust in teams can be ameliorated if members employ additional communication strategies including taking initiative, expressing enthusiasm, responding in a timely and meaningful manner, increasing feedback, increasing perceptions of virtual co-presence, providing transparent information, focusing on tasks rather than on procedures, and exchanging information about team processes (Alge, Wiethoff, & Klein, 2003;Altschuller & Benbunan-Fich, 2010;DeRosa, Hantula, Kock, & D'Arcy, 2004;Geister, Konradt, & Hertel, 2006;Jarvenpaa & Leidner, 1999;Palanski, Kahai, & Yammarino, 2011;Zornoza, Orengo, & Peñarroja, 2009).…”

“…Such climates then enable reflexivity and learning from failure (Edmondson & Moingeon, ). In virtual teams, a high trust climate can compensate for the lack of informational cues in computer‐mediated communication (Zornoza et al, ). Conceptualizing trust as part of a wider nomological network of team climate allows researchers to situate trust in relation to other concomitant dimensions important for team functioning and ongoing viability.…”

Trust and online information-sharing in close relationships: a cross-cultural perspective

“…Wilson, Straus, and McEvily (2006) also found that trust started lower in computer-mediated teams, although it increased to levels comparable to those in face-to-face teams over time. Zornoza, Orengo, and Penarroja (2009) reported that both competence trust and trust built from emotional ties are more difficult to develop in computer-mediated teams than face-to-face teams.…”