Navigating the enterprise metaverse: How virtual reality affects business agility and meeting outcomes

Abstract

Team meetings have been at the heart of businesses worldwide for a long time, regardless of industry and region. While extant research has outlined the advantages and challenges of using virtual reality (VR) for team meetings like higher closeness and increased exhaustion, it is largely unclear which effects dominate in real-world conditions. With a focus on business agility (i.e., an organization’s ability to adapt and respond quickly to developments and market conditions) while studying other meeting outcomes, this research outlines two studies in which managers of a public German organization use either videoconferencing or VR headsets for agile meetings. The findings suggest that regarding business agility and other outcomes of interest, entering the enterprise metaverse with VR headsets can be worthwhile for suitable meetings. Based on these insights, the authors offer a six-step process to guide managerial decisions on when and how to make the most out of metaverse meetings.