Vas Taras , Matthew McLarnon , Piers Steel , Thomas O'Neil
{"title":"Reducing freeloading in Global Virtual Teams: A quasi-experimental approach","authors":"Vas Taras , Matthew McLarnon , Piers Steel , Thomas O'Neil","doi":"10.1016/j.jwb.2024.101566","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Freeloading, a challenge faced by all workgroups but particularly acute in global virtual teams (GVTs), is an increasing concern as GVTs become increasingly ubiquitous in international business settings. This study employed a quasi-experimental design to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of different strategies grounded in equity theory for mitigating freeloading behavior in GVTs. The study used a sample of 2,022 GVTs comprising 12,536 business students from 43 countries who, for two months, worked on international business consulting projects. The results indicate that freeloading could be significantly reduced if the performance management system promotes a sense of equity and fairness by visible monitoring of individual effort coupled with the threat of reciprocations for insufficient contributions. Importantly, making a lack of individual effort visible through regular peer evaluations but taking no immediate punitive action could reduce perceived fairness and actually increase freeloading. The implications of these findings for practice and future research are discussed.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51357,"journal":{"name":"Journal of World Business","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":8.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of World Business","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090951624000464","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BUSINESS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Freeloading, a challenge faced by all workgroups but particularly acute in global virtual teams (GVTs), is an increasing concern as GVTs become increasingly ubiquitous in international business settings. This study employed a quasi-experimental design to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of different strategies grounded in equity theory for mitigating freeloading behavior in GVTs. The study used a sample of 2,022 GVTs comprising 12,536 business students from 43 countries who, for two months, worked on international business consulting projects. The results indicate that freeloading could be significantly reduced if the performance management system promotes a sense of equity and fairness by visible monitoring of individual effort coupled with the threat of reciprocations for insufficient contributions. Importantly, making a lack of individual effort visible through regular peer evaluations but taking no immediate punitive action could reduce perceived fairness and actually increase freeloading. The implications of these findings for practice and future research are discussed.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of World Business holds a distinguished position as a leading publication within the realm of International Business. Rooted in a legacy dating back to 1965, when it was established as the Columbia Journal of World Business, JWB is committed to disseminating cutting-edge research that reflects significant advancements in the field. The journal actively seeks submissions that propel new theoretical frameworks and innovative perspectives on International Business phenomena. Aligned with its domain statement, submissions are expected to possess a clear multinational, cross-border, or international comparative focus, while remaining pertinent to the study of management and organizations. JWB particularly encourages submissions that challenge established theories or assumptions, presenting pioneering or counterintuitive findings. With an inclusive approach, the journal welcomes contributions from diverse conceptual and theoretical traditions, encompassing allied social sciences and behavioral sciences. Submissions should either develop new theories or rigorously test existing ones, employing a variety of qualitative, quantitative, or other methodological approaches. While JWB primarily caters to scholars and researchers, it values contributions that explore implications for Multinational Enterprises and their management, as well as ramifications for public policy and the broader societal role of business.