How to get things done in social virtual reality – A study of team cohesion in social virtual reality–enabled teams

Abstract

Social virtual reality (SVR) enables teams to operate in a virtual environment that simulates and enhances real-world interactions. However, there is an absence of empirical analysis of how SVR can affect the performance of virtual teams. This paper documents how SVR affects the formation of team cohesion (i.e., task cohesion and social cohesion), which is a critical success factor for team performance. To address this gap in the research, we conducted a qualitative study by interviewing 20 members from virtual teams assigned to perform a challenging collaborative task in SVR. As a contribution, our study identifies five primary affordances and 11 sub-affordances for team cohesion in SVR. We also found that team cohesion actualization was limited in the use of SVR environments of our study. However, we conclude that hindrances to team cohesion formation in SVR can be mitigated by focusing on the further development of material properties of SVR.