IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jobhdp/v115y2011i2p214-225.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A meta-analytic investigation of virtuality and information sharing in teams

Author

Listed:
  • Mesmer-Magnus, Jessica R.
  • DeChurch, Leslie A.
  • Jimenez-Rodriguez, Miliani
  • Wildman, Jessica
  • Shuffler, Marissa

Abstract

We uncover new insights on the role of virtuality on team information sharing. A new two-dimensional conceptualization of information sharing (Mesmer-Magnus & DeChurch, 2009) enabled us to reconcile past inconsistencies in the virtual team literature. Recasting the findings of 94 studies (total number of groups = 5596; total N approximately = 19,702) into this framework reveals three key insights. First, virtuality improves the sharing of unique information, but hinders the openness of information sharing. Second, unique information sharing is more important to the performance of face-to-face teams than is open information sharing, whereas open information sharing is more important to the performance of virtual teams than is unique information sharing. Third, the effects of virtuality on information sharing are more curvilinear than linear - such that low levels of virtuality improve information sharing, but high levels hider it. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Mesmer-Magnus, Jessica R. & DeChurch, Leslie A. & Jimenez-Rodriguez, Miliani & Wildman, Jessica & Shuffler, Marissa, 2011. "A meta-analytic investigation of virtuality and information sharing in teams," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 115(2), pages 214-225, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:115:y:2011:i:2:p:214-225
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749597811000434
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Valacich, Joseph S. & Schwenk, Charles, 1995. "Devil's Advocacy and Dialectical Inquiry Effects on Face-to-Face and Computer-Mediated Group Decision Making," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 63(2), pages 158-173, August.
    2. Narda R. Quigley & Paul E. Tesluk & Edwin A. Locke & Kathryn M. Bartol, 2007. "A Multilevel Investigation of the Motivational Mechanisms Underlying Knowledge Sharing and Performance," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(1), pages 71-88, February.
    3. Hollingshead, Andrea B., 1996. "The Rank-Order Effect in Group Decision Making," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 68(3), pages 181-193, December.
    4. Jonathon N. Cummings, 2004. "Work Groups, Structural Diversity, and Knowledge Sharing in a Global Organization," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 50(3), pages 352-364, March.
    5. Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa & Dorothy E. Leidner, 1999. "Communication and Trust in Global Virtual Teams," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 10(6), pages 791-815, December.
    6. van Ginkel, Wendy P. & van Knippenberg, Daan, 2008. "Group information elaboration and group decision making: The role of shared task representations," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 105(1), pages 82-97, January.
    7. Ross Hightower & Lutfus Sayeed, 1996. "Effects of Communication Mode and Prediscussion Information Distribution Characteristics on Information Exchange in Groups," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 7(4), pages 451-465, December.
    8. Gerardo A. Okhuysen & Kathleen M. Eisenhardt, 2002. "Integrating Knowledge in Groups: How Formal Interventions Enable Flexibility," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(4), pages 370-386, August.
    9. Wilson, Jeanne M. & Straus, Susan G. & McEvily, Bill, 2006. "All in due time: The development of trust in computer-mediated and face-to-face teams," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 99(1), pages 16-33, January.
    10. Baltes, Boris B. & Dickson, Marcus W. & Sherman, Michael P. & Bauer, Cara C. & LaGanke, Jacqueline S., 2002. "Computer-Mediated Communication and Group Decision Making: A Meta-Analysis," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 156-179, January.
    11. Henry, Rebecca A., 1995. "Improving Group Judgment Accuracy: Information Sharing and Determining the Best Member," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 190-197, May.
    12. Laku Chidambaram & Lai Lai Tung, 2005. "Is Out of Sight, Out of Mind? An Empirical Study of Social Loafing in Technology-Supported Groups," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 16(2), pages 149-168, June.
    13. Siegel, Jane & Dubrovsky, Vitaly & Kiesler, Sara & McGuire, Timothy W., 1986. "Group processes in computer-mediated communication," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 157-187, April.
    14. Alge, Bradley J. & Wiethoff, Carolyn & Klein, Howard J., 2003. "When does the medium matter? Knowledge-building experiences and opportunities in decision-making teams," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 26-37, May.
    15. Shaila M. Miranda & Carol S. Saunders, 2003. "The Social Construction of Meaning: An Alternative Perspective on Information Sharing," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 14(1), pages 87-106, March.
    16. Leonard Greenhalgh & Deborah I. Chapman, 1998. "Negotiator Relationships: Construct Measurement, and Demonstration of Their Impact on the Process and Outcomes of Negotiation," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 7(6), pages 465-489, November.
    17. Jolene Galegher & Robert E. Kraut, 1994. "Computer-Mediated Communication for Intellectual Teamwork: An Experiment in Group Writing," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 5(2), pages 110-138, June.
    18. Catherine Durnell Cramton, 2001. "The Mutual Knowledge Problem and Its Consequences for Dispersed Collaboration," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(3), pages 346-371, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Glikson, Ella & Erez, Miriam, 2020. "The emergence of a communication climate in global virtual teams," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(6).
    2. da Silva, Filipa Pires & Mosquera, Pilar & Soares, Maria Eduarda, 2022. "Factors influencing knowledge sharing among IT geographically dispersed teams," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    3. Swaab, Roderick I. & Phillips, Katherine W. & Schaerer, Michael, 2016. "Secret conversation opportunities facilitate minority influence in virtual groups: The influence on majority power, information processing, and decision quality," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 17-32.
    4. Sanghyun Park & Phanish Puranam, 2020. "Learning what they think vs. learning what they do: The micro-foundations of vicarious learning," Papers 2007.15264, arXiv.org, revised Jul 2020.
    5. Lionel P. Robert Jr & Alan R. Dennis & Manju K. Ahuja, 2018. "Differences are Different: Examining the Effects of Communication Media on the Impacts of Racial and Gender Diversity in Decision-Making Teams," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 29(3), pages 525-545, September.
    6. Margarita Nyfoudi & Nicholas Theodorakopoulos & Alexandros Psychogios & Anders Dysvik, 2022. "Tell it like it is in SME teams: Adverse working conditions, citizenship behaviour and the role of team information sharing in a turbulent economy," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 43(2), pages 516-535, May.
    7. Dietrichson, Jens & Gudmundsson, Jens & Jochem, Torsten, 2022. "Why don’t we talk about it? Communication and coordination in teams," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 257-278.
    8. Alexandra Rese & Anke Kutschke & Daniel Baier, 2016. "Analyzing The Relative Influence Of Supply Side, Demand Side And Regulatory Factors On The Success Of Collaborative Energy Innovation Projects," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 20(02), pages 1-43, February.
    9. George, Charles & Gibson, Cristina B. & Barbour, Jennifer, 2022. "Shared leadership across cultures: Do traditionalism and virtuality matter?," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(1).
    10. Marlow, Shannon L. & Lacerenza, Christina N. & Paoletti, Jensine & Burke, C. Shawn & Salas, Eduardo, 2018. "Does team communication represent a one-size-fits-all approach?: A meta-analysis of team communication and performance," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 145-170.
    11. Meub, Lukas & Proeger, Till, 2017. "The impact of communication regimes and cognitive abilities on group rationality: Experimental evidence," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 229-238.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lionel P. Robert & Alan R. Dennis & Manju K. Ahuja, 2008. "Social Capital and Knowledge Integration in Digitally Enabled Teams," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 19(3), pages 314-334, September.
    2. Gajendran, Ravi S. & Loewenstein, Jeffrey & Choi, Hyeran & Ozgen, Sibel, 2022. "Hidden costs of text-based electronic communication on complex reasoning tasks: Motivation maintenance and impaired downstream performance," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    3. Mark Mortensen & Tsedal B. Neeley, 2012. "Reflected Knowledge and Trust in Global Collaboration," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 58(12), pages 2207-2224, December.
    4. Hill, N. Sharon & Bartol, Kathryn M. & Tesluk, Paul E. & Langa, Gosia A., 2009. "Organizational context and face-to-face interaction: Influences on the development of trust and collaborative behaviors in computer-mediated groups," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 108(2), pages 187-201, March.
    5. Craig Galbraith & Alex DeNoble & Sanford Ehrlich & Jessica Mesmer-Magnus, 2010. "Review panel consensus and post-decision commercial performance: a study of early stage technologies," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 35(2), pages 253-281, April.
    6. Rockmann, Kevin W. & Northcraft, Gregory B., 2008. "To be or not to be trusted: The influence of media richness on defection and deception," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 107(2), pages 106-122, November.
    7. Marlow, Shannon L. & Lacerenza, Christina N. & Paoletti, Jensine & Burke, C. Shawn & Salas, Eduardo, 2018. "Does team communication represent a one-size-fits-all approach?: A meta-analysis of team communication and performance," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 145-170.
    8. Wilson, Jeanne M. & Straus, Susan G. & McEvily, Bill, 2006. "All in due time: The development of trust in computer-mediated and face-to-face teams," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 99(1), pages 16-33, January.
    9. Lionel P. Robert Jr & Alan R. Dennis & Manju K. Ahuja, 2018. "Differences are Different: Examining the Effects of Communication Media on the Impacts of Racial and Gender Diversity in Decision-Making Teams," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 29(3), pages 525-545, September.
    10. Michael Boyer O'Leary & Mark Mortensen, 2010. "Go (Con)figure: Subgroups, Imbalance, and Isolates in Geographically Dispersed Teams," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(1), pages 115-131, February.
    11. Hanes, Denise R., 2013. "Geographically distributed audit work: Theoretical considerations and future directions," Journal of Accounting Literature, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 1-29.
    12. Kent Marett & Joey F. George, 2013. "Barriers to Deceiving Other Group Members in Virtual Settings," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 89-115, January.
    13. Ofir Turel & Catherine E. Connelly, 2012. "Team Spirit: The Influence of Psychological Collectivism on the Usage of E-Collaboration Tools," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 21(5), pages 703-725, September.
    14. Pamela J. Hinds & Diane E. Bailey, 2003. "Out of Sight, Out of Sync: Understanding Conflict in Distributed Teams," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(6), pages 615-632, December.
    15. Anca Metiu, 2006. "Owning the Code: Status Closure in Distributed Groups," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 17(4), pages 418-435, August.
    16. Catherine Durnell Cramton, 2001. "The Mutual Knowledge Problem and Its Consequences for Dispersed Collaboration," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(3), pages 346-371, June.
    17. Pamela J. Hinds & Mark Mortensen, 2005. "Understanding Conflict in Geographically Distributed Teams: The Moderating Effects of Shared Identity, Shared Context, and Spontaneous Communication," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(3), pages 290-307, June.
    18. Linda Argote & Sunkee Lee & Jisoo Park, 2021. "Organizational Learning Processes and Outcomes: Major Findings and Future Research Directions," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(9), pages 5399-5429, September.
    19. Ambos, Tina C. & Ambos, Björn & Eich, Katharina J. & Puck, Jonas, 2016. "Imbalance and Isolation: How Team Configurations Affect Global Knowledge Sharing," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 316-332.
    20. Jeanne Wilson & C. Brad Crisp & Mark Mortensen, 2013. "Extending Construal-Level Theory to Distributed Groups: Understanding the Effects of Virtuality," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(2), pages 629-644, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:115:y:2011:i:2:p:214-225. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/obhdp .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.