Time Pressure and Reward Inspiration as Outcome Controls for Information Sharing in Problem-Solving Virtual Teams

The purpose of this research is to examine whether outcome controls of group work (i.e. time pressure and reward) trigger psychological factors (i.e. distraction, motivation, and trust) and affect problem-solving virtual teams' ability to share information and develop high quality solutions. Results of a laboratory experiment on GSS-based virtual teams indicate that teams exhibited higher motivation and trust under time pressure while only trust, in turn, has a positive relationship with information sharing. However, reward control has no significant impact on any psychological factors. We also find evidence supporting that total information shared is positively associated with problem-solving outcomes in terms of the solution quality.