Factors Influencing the Adoption of Virtual Communication in Organizations: A Project Management Perspective

In this study, we examine four possible determinants – management, employee, project, and technological related factors – of virtual communication(VC) adoption in an organization. We reviewed all the influential elements from previous VC literature on telework, telecommuting, and virtual teams to identify which factor has the most significant influence on VC adoption.We also surveyed professionals from various organizations, capacities, and locations for their VC experience and found that management factors such as management support, trust building, and organizational leadership are the most significant influencing factors for adopting VC. Furthermore, all four previouslymentioned factors play an important role in VC adoption. This study explored the factors that determine the adoption of VC in the work place—particularly in a non-manufacturing function—and found from previous studies that many issues other than technology alone determines VC adoption in the workplace. This study also combined the different findings from prior studies into four main factors. This study contributes to project management literature by providing consistent evidence that management-related factors are the most important determinant among the four factors. Moreover, factors such as project tasks, location, customer relations, external influences, and risk management are also significantly and positively associated with the adoption of VC in an organization. The managerial implications of this research are to provide a framework and implementation steps for VC adoption in organizations, which primarily emphasizes that management—in their role as innovation adopters—should no longer dismiss the benefits of VC programs concerning competitiveness and hiring and retaining the best talent.