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Factors Affecting Knowledge Sharing in Virtual Teams

Author

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  • Vida Davidavičienė

    (Department of Business Technologies and Entrepreneurship, Business Management Faculty, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Saulėtekio al. 11, 10223 Vilnius, Lithuania)

  • Khaled Al Majzoub

    (Department of Business Technologies and Entrepreneurship, Business Management Faculty, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Saulėtekio al. 11, 10223 Vilnius, Lithuania)

  • Ieva Meidute-Kavaliauskiene

    (Department of Business Technologies and Entrepreneurship, Business Management Faculty, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Saulėtekio al. 11, 10223 Vilnius, Lithuania)

Abstract

The development and use of information and communications technology (ICT) are growing at a rapid speed across the world. ICT has been the cause for new types of work arrangements, such as virtual organizations, virtual teams, teleworking, etc. Virtual teams provide organizations with competitive advantage by enabling them to hire talented people across the world and eliminating the need for physical availability in the office. However, one major issue hindering the productivity of the virtual team is knowledge sharing. The lack of proper knowledge sharing between team members may cause organizations to fail with regards to the implementation of successful strategies. The research into understanding knowledge sharing in virtual teams (VT) in the Middle East is lacking. While such studies have been done in the United States and Europe, the Middle East has been overlooked. In this study, the authors assume that there are some specific behavioral aspects of VT in the Middle East that create the need for specific scientific solutions. Accordingly, this study was conducted in the Middle East in order to gain scientific knowledge on the region’s specificity. The objective of this article is to create a model for the evaluation of the effect on knowledge sharing in virtual teams in the Middle East. For analysis, the selection of companies includes United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based companies in the IT industry whose businesses engage in VT. The results show that the following factors have a direct effect on knowledge sharing in VT: Culture, motivation, conflict, ICT, trust, and leadership. Conversely, the results do not demonstrate that language has any impact on knowledge sharing. The methodology used is as follows: Literature review, survey methods, and structural equation modeling.

Suggested Citation

  • Vida Davidavičienė & Khaled Al Majzoub & Ieva Meidute-Kavaliauskiene, 2020. "Factors Affecting Knowledge Sharing in Virtual Teams," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-16, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:17:p:6917-:d:403943
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ambos, Tina C. & Ambos, Björn & Eich, Katharina J. & Puck, Jonas, 2016. "Imbalance and Isolation: How Team Configurations Affect Global Knowledge Sharing," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 316-332.
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    Cited by:

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    3. Kathryn Cormican & Chen Meng & Suzana Sampaio & Qiong Wu, 2021. "Towards Sustainable Knowledge Sharing Practices: An Analysis of Organizational Level Enablers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-18, November.
    4. Davaei, Mahboobeh & Gunkel, Marjaana & Veglio, Valerio & Taras, Vas, 2022. "The influence of cultural intelligence and emotional intelligence on conflict occurrence and performance in global virtual teams," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(4).
    5. Iulia Dumitrașcu-Băldău & Dănuț-Dumitru Dumitrașcu & Gabriela Dobrotă, 2021. "Predictive Model for the Factors Influencing International Project Success: A Data Mining Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-18, March.
    6. Janusz Rymaniak & Katarzyna Lis & Vida Davidavičienė & Manuela Pérez-Pérez & Ángel Martínez-Sánchez, 2021. "From Stationary to Remote: Employee Risks at Pandemic Migration of Workplaces," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-25, June.
    7. Baltasar González-Anta & Virginia Orengo & Ana Zornoza & Vicente Peñarroja & Nuria Gamero, 2021. "Sustainable Virtual Teams: Promoting Well-Being through Affect Management Training and Openness to Experience Configurations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-22, March.
    8. Anna Kacprzak & Marzena Kacprzak & Slawomir Jarka & Izabela Wielewska, 2022. "Building Trust in Virtual Project Teams During the Covid-19 Pandemic – The Viewpoint of Project Managers from Poland, France and Germany," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(3), pages 752-766.
    9. David Afandy & Agus Gunawan & Jol Stoffers & Yoke Pribadi Kornarius & Angela Caroline, 2022. "Improving Knowledge-Sharing Intentions: A Study in Indonesian Service Industries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-11, July.
    10. Budrytė Monika & Vainauskienė Vestina, 2023. "Virtual Communities of Practice as a Knowledge Sharing Tool: Recommendations for International Business," Management of Organizations: Systematic Research, Sciendo, vol. 89(1), pages 15-30, June.

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