A new study reveals the keys to becoming a recognized leader in virtual meetings. Learn how engagement and verbal communication play vital roles in leadership perception.
With remote work becoming more mainstream, understanding how leadership emerges in virtual teams is crucial. A groundbreaking study by Binghamton University, in collaboration with several State University of New York (SUNY) schools and research centers, sheds light on the significant role verbal communication plays in establishing leadership in virtual environments.
“Emerging leadership is really important in a virtual environment because we have to rely more on the effectiveness of our communication since we cannot observe formal leaders directly or as easily,” Fuhe Jin, an assistant professor of management at The College of New Jersey who participated in the research during her doctoral studies at Binghamton, said in a news release.
Jin emphasizes the need for effective communication to be identified as a leader.
“If you want to be recognized as a leader in a virtual group, you need to pay closer attention to how the audience responds to what you’re saying and support others’ ideas so you can better facilitate communication,” she added.
The study, which analyzed data from 12 virtual teams consisting of 51 participants at universities in Tokyo, discovered that team members who received positive and affirming responses, like “You are correct” and “I agree with you,” were more likely to be seen as emergent leaders. This recognition was due to their central role in team communications.
The research utilized a machine learning program to scrutinize the verbal dynamics within the teams, highlighting the importance of engagement and affirmation over merely dominating the discussion.
“We found speaking in Zoom becomes quite important for everyone because, in these virtual settings, you cannot capture many nonverbal backchannel behaviors that would indicate whether people agree with or understand you in the same way as if you were meeting in person,” co-contributor Chou-Yu (Joey) Tsai, who is the Osterhout Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at Binghampton’s School of Management, said in the news release.
“This work reminds us that the audience matters as much as the person speaking, so both should have some common ground. That will enhance the perception of leadership, making you more effective in that role,” Tsai added.
The impact of this research extends into the realm of artificial intelligence and its potential to improve human teamwork rather than replace it.
Hiroki Sayama, SUNY Distinguished Professor at Binghampton’s School of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering and a member of the research team, highlighted how AI can help decode complex human interactions to foster better collaborative environments.
“Regarding the scientific value of the key findings, we learn how leadership emerges from the complex interactions among people,” Sayama said. “A classic, traditional view would attribute leadership to individual traits (vision, determination, charisma, etc.), but our study clearly showed that leadership is more relational.”
The study, published in the journal Academy of Management Proceedings, suggests that organizations should focus on enhancing verbal communication skills and fostering socio-emotional support within teams to nurture virtual leaders effectively.