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Emotional intelligence (EI) has received increasing attention in recent years as a driver of team effectiveness. However, research has yet to address EI in virtual teams (VT). The purpose of our study was to examine EI as a predictor of VT effectiveness. Further, we investigated quality of communication as a mediator of the EI-team viability relationship. We employed a work simulation using 228 undergraduate students (57 teams). Multilevel modeling was used to test our hypotheses. Our results support that EI is a driver of team viability, and that quality of communication serves as one mechanism through which this influence exists.
INTRODUCTION
Growing attention has been given to the role that emotions play in driving organizational effectiveness (i.e., Ashkanasy, 2003; Barsade, Brief, & Spataro, 2003; Nelis, Quoidbach, Mikolajczak, & Hansenne, 2009). The construct of emotional intelligence, in particular, has gained momentum in both research (e.g., Mayer, Roberts, & Barsade, 2008) and popular (e.g., Goleman, 1995) literatures in recent decades. Empirical research has shown that emotional intelligence, a person's ability to detect, understand, and manage the emotions of others (Mayer et al., 2008), is a significant predictor of team effectiveness in face-to-face teams (George, 2002). However, research has yet to address the role of emotional intelligence in one of the most prevalent work units of the 21st century (Lepsinger & DeRosa, 2010): virtual teams, which are comprised of geographically-dispersed employees who use technology to accomplish organizational tasks (Martins, Gilson, & Maynard, 2004).
Because they lack verbal and nonverbal cues which naturally exist in face-to-face teams, virtual teams are faced with unique obstacles toward effective communication (Martins et al., 2004). For example, compared to face-to-face teams, virtual teams demonstrate decreased social interaction, communication, and emotional expression (Jarvenpaa & Leidner, 1999). Research suggests that individuals high on emotional intelligence are effective at detecting and managing emotions (Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2000), which are reduced in a virtual environment. Thus, emotional intelligence holds promise as a critical driver of effective communication and subsequent effectiveness outcomes (e.g., team performance, team members' attitudes) in virtual teams. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to investigate the role of emotional intelligence as a driver of virtual team effectiveness. Specifically, we make a unique contribution to the literature by examining the extent to...