Managing Someone 'Less like You' From Afar: The Role of Virtual Communication Modality
Date of Award
2023
Degree Type
Open Access Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Psychology, MA
Program
School of Social Science, Politics, and Evaluation
Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair
Stephen Gilliland
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Michelle Bligh
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2023 Boree Kim
Keywords
Computer-mediated communication, LMX, Perceived similarity, Trust, Virtual work
Subject Categories
Organizational Behavior and Theory | Psychology
Abstract
With the proliferation of remote work options, leaders are faced with new challenges and opportunities to manage their followers in a virtual context. However, insufficient research examines whether a follower’s perception of trust and connection with a leader change across virtual communication modalities. Using a mixed-factorial experimental design, this study examined the moderated-mediation effect of digital communication media on trust, and the relationship between deep-level diversity and LMX quality. Using a workplace scenario, participants (N=354) received developmental feedback from a hypothetical manager whom they may identify as being more similar or different. All participants were given the same scenario but randomly assigned to different digital communication conditions (email vs. voicemail vs. video message). The study measured Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) quality, trust, and perceived similarity. The results of the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis showed that while trust fully mediates the positive relationship between perceived similarity and LMX quality, the computer-mediated communication modality does not moderate this fully mediated relationship. The findings of this study contribute to the growing body of research on virtual work and enrich the existing literature on LMX, by emphasizing the critical role of trust within virtual settings. Moreover, the results of this study offer practical insights to assist managers in effectively fostering LMX with their subordinates in the virtual landscape, particularly when dealing with individuals who differ from them.
ISBN
9798342762830
Recommended Citation
Kim, Boree. (2023). Managing Someone 'Less like You' From Afar: The Role of Virtual Communication Modality. CGU Theses & Dissertations, 873. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/873.
