Satisfaction in virtual teams in organizations

Teams in organizations are no longer pure virtual or pure face-to-face teams, but fall into the large hybrid category of those who use technology according to the needs of their task and team structure. Considering the assumption that the level of a team's virtuality may influence members' satisfaction, we explored the effects of team virtuality on member satisfaction in a sample of virtual team members in organizations (N = 159) using an online questionnaire. We defined two dimensions of virtuality: the proportion of e-mail vs. face-to-face communication and the proportion of co-located team members. By assessing satisfaction with different measures we were able to describe distinctive relationships between level of virtuality and member satisfaction. We found that virtual team members reported rather low job satisfaction. Results showed negative relationships between team virtuality and job satisfaction and satisfaction with working relationships in the team, respectively. We found no effects of team virtuality on resigned attitude towards one's job, satisfaction with team task performance, and satisfaction with computer-mediated communication. However, context variables other than level of virtuality had stronger effects on job satisfaction. Especially trust in other team members and adequate management information policies improved member satisfaction.