Cohesiveness of Internet Based Virtual Teams in the e-business: Roles of Various Types of Leadership

Abstract

A virtual team consists of various members with a range of professional skills. An IT virtual team can confer such advantages as improving creativity and solving problems in e-business. However, virtual teams are less cohesive than off-line based teams, at least partly because they do not meet face-to-face to solve problems. If the cohesion of the members in a team is weak, overall performance can decrease. Therefore, this study seeks to understand the specific types of leadership needed to increase the cohesiveness of the members in a virtual team. Leadership is the most important factor for the successful operation of a virtual team. Leaders engage members with goals, and motivate them by creating positive relationships. This study describes the idealized influence of transformational leadership in which a leader directly engages members in a goal, and the role of participative goal setting in which members set their own goals. In addition, this research demonstrates the benefits of a positive attitude of a leader towards their team members and the influence of leader-member exchanges. If the cohesion of virtual teams is improved through specific leadership, the team members will be more committed to their teams and work, and the team's performance will improve. Furthermore, the successful operation of virtual teams will provide an opportunity for companies in e-business to gain a competitive advantage in the contemporary environment, where creativity is important.