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Introduction
The recognition and use of teams in the workplace has expanded significantly as a response to the competitive, complex and dynamic nature of today's corporate world (Sandoff and Nilsson, 2016; Pina et al. , 2008). With advancements in information technologies and globalisation, the capabilities of organisations have equally extended their requirements to modify their team-based structures from purely traditionally co-located arrangements to more virtual settings. According to Greenberg et al. (2007) and Gilson et al. (2014), virtual teams have now evolved into dominant arrangements in most modern-day business environments. Also based on a previous study, it was estimated that about 1.3 billion people will be working virtually (Johns and Gratton, 2013), while the Society of Human Resource Management (2016) reported that 46 per cent of the human resource professionals from global organisations use some form of virtual teamwork. Furthermore, Stevenson and McGrath (2004) noted that major companies like HP and General Electric experienced substantial productivity increases with the use of virtual teams.
Virtual teams offer radical changes in organisational designs, deploy a greater multicultural pool of personnel and are characterised by the use of information and communication technologies (Gilson et al. , 2014). They also enable organisations utilise dispersed pools of skilful and talented personnel to meet the demands of competitive global business environments by "working separately but together". In the midst of the benefits, Koster (2010) highlighted that the natural evolution of virtual teams in a dynamic business environment can leave organisations grappling with a myriad of challenges like the role and deployment of relevant technology, communication and the creation of suitable organisational and reporting structures for operations.
Previous studies Saunders and Ahuja (2006), and Ebrahim et al. (2009) suggested that research on virtual teams is still nascent; however, there is ample evidence to indicate otherwise. For instance, Pazos (2012) studied conflict management in virtual teams and concluded that commitment to team goals is a significant predictor of successful conflict management. Bal and Gundry (1999) undertook an industry-specific survey within the automobile industry. Part of their findings indicated that virtual teaming is now accepted in principle within automotive supply chain relationships. In a geographical skewed study, Holtbrugge et al. (2011) examined the use of virtual project teams in India. Various other areas...