Trust and commitment: a comparative study of virtual team communication across industries

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate virtual team (VT) member’s perception of trust and commitment when using computer-mediated communication (CMC). Design/methodology/approach A nonexperimental quantitative research methodology was used to survey full-time employees in education, health care and telecommunications industries. Participants were on VTs using CMC. A factorial, between groups, multivariate analysis of variance was used to examine whether the mean scores of trust and commitment, as dependent variables, significantly differed between VT members across industries, that make up one of the independent variables (type of industry) using different CMC with the CMC methods being the second independent variable. Findings When the variable of type of industry was held constant, CMC resulted in statistically significant differences in the mean scores of the linear variate of trust and commitment. However, when the variable of CMC was held constant, type of industry did not result in a statistically significant difference in the mean scores of the linear variate of trust and commitment. Additionally, the interaction of the variables CMC and type of industry resulted in a statistically significant difference in the mean scores of the linear variate of trust and commitment. Originality/value Findings suggest organizations should adopt best practices to maximize benefits of the visual component of VT communication. This study provides evidence to support a potential relationship between trust and visual CMC. Findings aid organizational leaders in evaluating communication tools, specifically for complex tasks requiring trust among members.