A Member - Virtual Team Fit Theory: Group Conscientiousness Effects on Performance

Virtual teams have become common in many business settings. Thus, it is important to examine factors that affect their performance. Although much research has been done to this end, the influence of virtual team personality composition on team performance has rarely been studied. In this study, we seek to bridge this gap by theoretically developing and empirically testing a model that captures these effects. Data collected from 61 virtual teams suggest that the elevation (median) level of team conscientiousness improves team performance, while higher within-team diversity (standard deviation) in conscientiousness lowers performance. Furthermore, the elevation level of team conscientiousness moderates the negative effect of within-team conscientiousness diversity on team performance. Implications for research and practice are discussed.