| Virtual teams are a valuable resource for many organizations. As the utilization of distributed teams by organizations increases, so does the need to better understand their mechanisms and ultimate performance. While numerous theoretical frameworks have been employed by researchers interested in the performance of virtual teams, one framework that has not been applied is social cognitive theory (SCT). The failure to apply SCT in virtual team research is regrettable as the triadic reciprocal relationship of the person, the environment, and the behavior may provide a theoretical framework broad enough to encompass many of the previously established virtual team success factors, allowing for the development of a more comprehensive model of virtual team performance. Central to the person component of the SCT framework is the concept of collective efficacy---or a belief in a team's collective abilities---which can be used as a centerpiece in such a model of virtual team performance. In this research, a measure of virtual team efficacy---a domain specific measure of collective efficacy---is validated using established psychometric and instrument validation procedures. A conceptual model is then proposed relating virtual team efficacy to factors known to influence virtual team performance. A theoretically developed research model of virtual team efficacy is also developed and tested. At the group level of analysis, over 46% of the variance in actual performance was accounted for. In addition, virtual team efficacy was found to exert a significant positive influence on the established virtual team success factors of trust and communication. These findings reveal that the concept of virtual team efficacy is an important component missing from many studies of virtual team performance. |
