The role of project manager and team member knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) in distinguishing virtual project team performance outcomes

Virtual teaming has become one of the most common interventions for organizations seeking to reduce costs and time to market, pool knowledge, and leverage skills. Previous research on individual behaviors contributing to virtual project team effectiveness has focused on contributions made by team leaders. The present study expands existing knowledge on individual competencies impacting virtual project team performances by looking at behaviors exhibited by both project managers and the team members who support them.; Study findings were based upon semi-structured interviews of 23 project managers within one organization. Interviews yielded a total of 145 narratives describing salient situations where project managers felt virtual project team outcomes were either effective (n = 77) or ineffective (n = 68). Narrative analysis was then enlisted to determine project manager and team member KSAs associated with differences in the achievement of task interdependent objectives.; Three broad behavioral competencies were attributed to differences in virtual project team performance outcomes. They were discovery and preparation, leadership and team potency. Discovery and preparation behaviors refer to those project manager KSAs (pre-work, planning, understanding objectives and understanding action) associated with exerting sufficient effort and establishing clear and engaging directions. Leadership behaviors refer to project manager KSAs (client partnering, managing expectations, delegating, escalating, seeking approval and guidance, and determining team member resources) deemed central to building expert teams. And finally, team potency behaviors refer to those project manager and team member KSAs (confidence, competence, empathy, facilitation, and social presence) associated with the teams' overall belief in their ability to perform.; Results suggest increasing virtual project team effectiveness by bolstering team member responsiveness and facilitation, increasing project managers' confidence and feelings of competence, finding and commandeering critical team member resources, and partnering with clients to ensure successful outcomes.