Social comparison in virtual work environments: An examination of contemporary referent selection

Abstract

The current trend with organizations is to streamline operations, cut cost, and operate with fewer employees (i.e., to do more with less). This trend has encouraged events such as downsizing and mergers as well as fostered the development of virtual work environments and new organizational forms like virtual organizations. Consequently, this change in organizational forms and the context of work has the potential to cause other associated consequences. One possible consequence is a change in the availability and type of referent others available. Likewise, a better understanding of worker referent choice remains a common issue of debate among researchers of comparison theories. This paper examines how referent selection relative to worker social comparison is (and will be) affected by the changing nature of organizations and the context of work.

The isolation of online adjunct faculty and its impact on their performance

“…Often, long periods of time pass without adjuncts having any awareness of events and news regarding the institution they teach for. Keeping workers informed and providing feedback on their performance is critical to reduce feelings of insecurity and to promote self-esteem (Conner, 2003).…”

Virtual team culture and the amplification of team boundary permeability on performance

“…Although the nature of virtual teamwork tends to be more ambiguous and solitary than proximal teamwork (Workman et al, 2003), some virtual teams make more attempts than others to interact (Conner, 2003). Consistent with social influence theory, which explains the permeability of boundaries between information flows among organizational units (Suzuki, 1997), a closed team culture is highly compartmentalized, with thick boundaries between in-groups and out-groups, and it has few linkages and low interdependence.…”

“…"As compared with individuals working within proximity of similar comparison others, individuals within a virtual context will engage in more attempts at selecting referents outside of the organization" (Conner, 2003, p. 141) to assess the distribution of workload, task progress, and fairness in relation to distributive justice (Conner, 2003;Griffith, et al, 2003;Lipnick & Stamps, 1997 Similar to process-oriented teams that formalize structure through process specificity, normative teams concentrate on formalizing the structure governing work behavior. They are characterized by a high degree of political formality and have extensive policies.…”

Factors Affecting Training Effectiveness in Synchronous, Dispersed Virtual Environments

“…Student-to-student interaction is important when the students are physically isolated, because students need one another as a frame of reference to gauge their own performance (Conner, 2003).…”

“…In classrooms, this kind of student-student interactivity is automatic and often transparent. In a dispersed environment, students who are used to judging their own performance based on that of nearby peers may suddenly be without their usual frame of reference, increasing personal uncertainty (Conner, 2003).…”