A Qualitative Case Study of Manager Trustworthiness of Employees in the Virtual Workplace

详细信息   

• 作者：Goudy ; Kimberly
• 学历：Doctor
• 年：2015
• 关键词：Social sciences ; Communication ; Leader-member exchan
• 导师：Throne,Robin
• 毕业院校：Northcentral University
• Department：School of Business and Technology Management
• 专业：Management;Economics
• ISBN：9781321620184
• CBH：3685661
• Country：USA
• 语种：English
• FileSize：670165
• Pages：203

文摘

Managers might have found the transition from a traditional business setting to an online environment challenging when establishing relational trust within quality work relationships with subordinates who work outside of their physical proximity. A problem existed when managers were averse to the virtual workplace and might have suppressed subordinate attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to investigate the barriers managers encounter to create and sustain trustworthiness of virtual subordinates who work remotely from a physical office,and to explore these barriers in a contemporary organization in which managers lack physical contact with those virtual subordinates. The current case study was in response to the call for studies of qualitative methodology to research traditional management theories in a real-world context. A purposive sample of 16 managers from a national publishing firm completed an interview questionnaire comprised of open-ended questions,which represented the single tool utilized in the data collection process. Data analysis was conducted with the software application,Dedoose,for assistance in coding and pattern matching. Five major themes emerged: (a) frequent communication,(b) conscientious conversation,(c) subordinate work performance,(d) performance reviews,and (e) decision-making,and three minor themes: (a) communication challenges,(b) team departmental design,and (c) recognition of mistakes. Conclusions included the identification of communication as a key factor in sustaining trust in virtual subordinate relationships. Implications of the themes involved best practices of communication in a virtual workplace,electronic means for evaluating subordinates' work,and application of team departmental design. Three recommendations for professional practice included: (a) organizational offerings of managerial trainings;(b) skillset necessary to supervise a virtual team;and (c) pertinent routine of performance reviews. Three recommendations for future research included: (a) a quantitative descriptive study to provide a description of managerial guidelines for communication;(b) a causal-comparative study to determine the effects of a virtual workplace on manager consideration of work performance,and (c) a qualitative phenomenological study to further explore manager interpersonal skills and effectiveness when supervising virtual subordinates.