Are you satisfied yet? Shared leadership, trust and individual satisfaction in virtual teams

Abstract

Virtual teams provide organizations with numerous advantages by allowing them to assemble individuals irrespective of their physical location. Unfortunately, dispersion and reliance on virtual communications are two characteristics of virtual teams that can reduce team member’s satisfaction. Promoting satisfaction is important because it is associated with increases in individual behaviors that promote team performance. To address this issue, this paper conducts a multi-level analysis that investigates the influence of shared leadership and individual trust on individual satisfaction in virtual teams. Results indicate that both shared leadership and individual trust increase individual satisfaction. In addition, the significance of a cross-level moderation effect between shared leadership and individual trust indicates that the two act as substitutes for one another. In essence, either shared leadership or trust can be used to facilitate individual satisfaction in virtual teams.