The role of social presence and virtual leadership in enhancing the virtual teams performance among administrators in the higher education sector in Malaysia : knowledge sharing as a mediator and media richness as a moderator

Abstract

Virtual teams have been used in workplaces in recent years, replacing traditional teams. Therefore, researchers have been interested in how to improve the performance of virtual teams. The main research problem is to re-evaluate the factors influencing the performance of virtual teams in the Malaysian higher education sector to support the creation of effective virtual teams that contribute to the success and survival of institutions. This study aims to investigate the role of the components of social presence (relationship building, trust, cohesion, and communication) and virtual leadership in enhancing the performance of virtual work teams in the higher education sector in Malaysia. Moreover, the study aims to examine the mediating role of knowledge sharing and the moderating role of media richness in previous relationships. The research employed a quantitative research methodology. A survey was conducted using a questionnaire where data was obtained from 373 administrative employees from the Top-Ten Malaysian Universities according to Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was employed to test the hypotheses using (IBM AMOS). Findings show that the components of social presence (relationships building, trust, cohesion, and communication) and virtual leadership have a statistically significant impact on the performance of virtual teams. In addition, it was found that knowledge sharing plays a mediating role in the relationship between social presence and the performance of virtual teams, while it does not play a mediating role in the relationship between virtual leadership and the performance of virtual teams. Moreover, it is concluded that media richness did not play a moderating role in the relationship between social presence, virtual leadership and the performance of virtual teams. Thus, the study contributed an original contribution to the literature review on the performance of virtual teams. In the theoretical context, this study makes a significant contribution by exploring previously inadequately examined relationships, such as the mediating role of knowledge sharing and the moderating role of media richness. Sectorally, it stands out as a recent research conducted in Malaysia to evaluate the performance of virtual teams within the higher education sector from an administrative perspective. Methodologically, the study is noteworthy for its focus on administrative employees in the higher education sector, thereby addressing the performance of virtual teams from an administrative standpoint. This contrasts with prior research, which predominantly concentrated on students and examined virtual team performance from an educational perspective.

Keyword: Virtual Team Performance, Social Presence, Virtual Leadership, Knowledge Sharing, Media Richness