Browsing by Author "Dougall, Caitlin"

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    Fostering employee engagement in virtual teams : a qualitative study
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-03) Dougall, Caitlin; Adams, Samantha; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Industrial Psychology.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY: The speed and magnitude of change, which characterises the current working environment, has significantly increased the complexity and diversity of organisational decisions. As a result, many organisations have looked to teams when faced with complex problems and decisions, seeking the knowledge, creativity and experience that only teams could provide. Virtual teams, in particular, have become increasingly important as organisations operate in dispersed geographic contexts within which they need to draw on the knowledge and skills of various experts that are not confined to one immediate geographic location. Teams can be extremely powerful when they function effectively however transforming a group of individuals into a team is challenging. Whilst the prevalence of virtual teams has increased, South African trends reveal that virtual teams are not yet fully optimised. Virtual teams are particularly vulnerable to mistrust, power struggles and communication breakdowns. The dynamics of working within a group of people is, additionally, said to impact the level of energy and motivation team members possess and virtual teams have been associated with lower levels of energy and vigor. In this regard, employee engagement is said to have far reaching implications on employee performance. Many organisations fail to establish and foster engagement, and as a result a thorough understanding of employee engagement and the organisation’s role in this regard is critical in fostering effective virtual teams. This investigation adopted a qualitative approach to explore the emergence of employee engagement within the context of virtual teams and understand how engagement contributes to team effectiveness. Further analysis, additionally, outlined the key determinants of employee engagement which can be nurtured by the managers and organisational leaders to ensure greater effectiveness in virtual teams. Furthermore, in light of the various identified objectives qualitative semi-structured interviews were selected to provide a detailed insight into the phenomenon in question. This study thus provides practical and theoretical insight in this regard and contributes to the important debate surrounding employee engagement in alternative work settings.