Look Before You Lead: Seeing Virtual Teams Through the Lens of Games

ABSTRACT

This study investigated virtual teams playing World of Warcraft to better understand how traditional leadership theories applied to virtual worlds and to identify the most valuable leadership traits. Raid members completed surveys that assessed their leadership capability under the competing values framework. In keeping with previous scholarship, the findings indicate that successful virtual teams value roles from task-based leadership and a factor analysis revealed that the behavioral complexity leadership theory operates differently in virtual environments.

KEYWORDS:

• Competing values framework
• games
• leadership
• virtual environments
• virtual teams

Notes

1. UAH IRB (University of Alabama in Huntsville Institutional Review Board) approved in July 2015.

2. The exception is Betty; no survey was completed for her single nomination.

3. Raid 3 dropped for both teams.

4. WorldofLogs.com data collected September 5, 2012.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joy Robinson

Joy Robinson is an assistant professor at The University of Alabama in Huntsville. She has research and teaching interests in usability, virtual teaming, digital media, literacy and pedagogy, as well as the intersection of gaming and technical communication.