The goal of the proposed research is to understand how individual-level identities are communicated and verified in virtual teams, in order to develop technology-design guidelines aimed at improving the identity communication and verification process. Identity communication is defined as the methods that a person uses to convey his/her identity (Thatcher, Doucet, & Tuncel, 2001) and identity verification refers to the process of bringing others to confirm one's identity (Swann, 1983). The technology that facilitates communication in virtual teams can distort individual-level identities by heightening (Walther, 2008) or hiding (Weisband, 2002) them. The technology can thus create a social barrier to participation in virtual teams, negatively influencing a number of individual and group outcomes, including overall team success (Gomez, Huici, Seyle, & Swann, 2009). We adopt a mixed-methods research approach (Venkatesh, Brown, & Bala, 2013) to develop design guidelines for systems that improve identity communication and verification in virtual environments. Data will be collected in three phases, leveraging qualitative and quantitative techniques including interviews, surveys, and experiments.
The broader impacts of this project are in four key areas. First, our research will result in specific guidelines for designing information technology to support effective identity communication and verification in virtual environments. We will explain how the characteristics of various communication media influence identity communication and verification. Organizations can use this information not only during the onset of new virtual teams, but also as continuous improvement initiatives or when new members join an existing team. Second, we help organizations understand how to choose among different types and characteristics of communication technology to most effectively manage identity communication and verification. By understanding users' individual and task-related needs, organizations can deploy the best technologies to improve identity communication and verification given these specific characteristics. Third, with the increased use of online learning environments, we expect that the results of this work can be used to enhance both the teaching and learning experience by providing guidelines to enhance identity communication and verification in the educational context. For example, a common criticism of online learning experiences is that students do not feel a connection with their instructors or other students. Understanding how technology can enhance identity communication and verification can go a long way in helping us to develop effective online teaching tools. Fourth, a better understanding of identity communication and verification in virtual teams will have direct implications for NSF-sponsored virtual organizations, enhancing the effectiveness of cross-disciplinary and remote collaborations. Virtual teams offer a cost-effective and practical way to bring together diverse people from cross-disciplinary fields regardless of temporal or spatial restrictions; however, even face-to-face cross-disciplinary teams often experience communication difficulties (Oetzel, 2008), and these difficulties are generally exacerbated in virtual settings. By pointing the way toward more effective and sustainable virtual organizations, our research can thus strengthen the cyber-infrastructure for cross-disciplinary science and engineering research.
