Virtual Teams : human Resources’ technology preferences for better communication, increased trust and performance
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2015
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Edições Universitárias Lusófonas
Resumo
A adoção de Equipas Virtuais pelas empresas tem vindo a aumentar. Encontrandose dispersos, geograficamente e no tempo, os recursos humanos das equipas virtuais dependem totalmente da utilização de tecnologias de informação e comunicação (TIC) para suportar as suas necessidades comunicacionais. Embora exista muita investigação efetuada sobre inúmeros aspetos das equipas virtuais, muito pouca se focou na relação entre o desempenho comunicacional destas e a seleção das ferramentas disponíveis para os membros. Além disso, a maior parte das teorias relacionadas com a selecção de ferramentas concentra-se na combinação de características tarefa/tecnologia, descurando factores humanos baseados nas características pessoais, no conforto e nas preferências. Com o fim de detetar qual a tecnologia preferida pelos trabalhadores das equipas virtuais para a satisfação das suas necessidades comunicacionais e ainda para analisar o impacto da escolha tecnológica - baseada em características pessoais - na confiança, coesão, liderança e partilha de conhecimento foi enviado um questionário eletrónico a membros de equipas virtuais de empresas operando em diferentes sectores, tendo sido recebidas 79 respostas válidas. A análise dos dados centrou-se em diferentes perspetivas: Existe uma tecnologia preferida? As caraterísticas pessoais dos trabalhadores – género, faixa etária, escolaridade e capacidade de utilização de tecnologia – influenciam a escolha? A escolha da tecnologia que melhor se adapta a cada um dos 4 temas de GRH - confiança, coesão, liderança e partilha de conhecimento – segue a preferência global? Os resultados mostraram ser o e-Mail a tecnologia preferida e que esta escolha não é afetada pelo género. Os outros três tipos de caraterísticas pessoais mostraram ter influência na seleção da tecnologia. Para o estabelecimento de confiança e coesão, a tecnologia preferida foi a vídeo-conferência enquanto para a partilha de conhecimento o e-Mail voltou a ser a escolha principal.
Virtual Teams (VTs) are increasingly being adopted by companies. Being geographically and time dispersed, human resources of VTs are totally dependent upon the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to support their communicational success. Although much research has already been done on several aspects of Virtual Teams, very little has focused on the relation between the virtual team communication performance and the selection of tools available to the team members. Additionally, most of the theories related to tool selection concentrate in the combined characteristics of task and technology, disregarding human factors based in personal characteristics, comfort and preferences. To detect which technology workers of Virtual Teams prefer for accomplishing each one of their communicational needs and to analyze the impact of personal characteristics based technology choice, on cohesion, leadership, knowledge share and trust, leading to virtual team performance, an electronic questionnaire has been sent to members of virtual teams in several companies from different sectors of activity, and 79 valid answers were received. The analysis looked at the data from different perspectives: Is there, globally, a preferred technology? Do personal characteristics of workers - Gender, Age Group, Education Level and IT use Proficiency – influence the choice? And, does the choice of the preferred technological tool that best suits each of the four HRM themes – Trust buildup, Management, Knowledge Share and Cohesion – follow the global preference? The results have shown that e-Mail is the preferred technology choice and that this choice is not influenced by gender. The other three sets of personal characteristics influence the choice. For building Trust and Cohesion, the preferred technology is videoconference, contradicting the global tendency whereas for Knowledge Share and for Management activities e-Mail is again the preferred technology, in line with the main choice.
Virtual Teams (VTs) are increasingly being adopted by companies. Being geographically and time dispersed, human resources of VTs are totally dependent upon the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to support their communicational success. Although much research has already been done on several aspects of Virtual Teams, very little has focused on the relation between the virtual team communication performance and the selection of tools available to the team members. Additionally, most of the theories related to tool selection concentrate in the combined characteristics of task and technology, disregarding human factors based in personal characteristics, comfort and preferences. To detect which technology workers of Virtual Teams prefer for accomplishing each one of their communicational needs and to analyze the impact of personal characteristics based technology choice, on cohesion, leadership, knowledge share and trust, leading to virtual team performance, an electronic questionnaire has been sent to members of virtual teams in several companies from different sectors of activity, and 79 valid answers were received. The analysis looked at the data from different perspectives: Is there, globally, a preferred technology? Do personal characteristics of workers - Gender, Age Group, Education Level and IT use Proficiency – influence the choice? And, does the choice of the preferred technological tool that best suits each of the four HRM themes – Trust buildup, Management, Knowledge Share and Cohesion – follow the global preference? The results have shown that e-Mail is the preferred technology choice and that this choice is not influenced by gender. The other three sets of personal characteristics influence the choice. For building Trust and Cohesion, the preferred technology is videoconference, contradicting the global tendency whereas for Knowledge Share and for Management activities e-Mail is again the preferred technology, in line with the main choice.
Descrição
R-LEGO - Revista Lusófona de Economia e Gestão das Organizações
Palavras-chave
GESTÃO, RECURSOS HUMANOS, TECNOLOGIAS DA INFORMAÇÃO E COMUNICAÇÃO, CORREIO ELETRÓNICO, VIDEOCONFERÊNCIA, COMUNICAÇÃO VIRTUAL
Citação
Duarte , I & Cunha , L 2015 , ' Virtual Teams : human Resources’ technology preferences for better communication, increased trust and performance ' , R-LEGO - Revista Lusófona de Economia e Gestão das Organizações .