Multitasking and Innovation in Virtual Teams

The limits of human multitasking capabilities in intense conditions are well understood. However, little is known about how increasing and continuous multitasking impacts innovation in virtual teams. During this investigation, we developed a construct called virtual distance to understand how both perceived and physical distance impacts innovation on virtual teams and applied it to 223 individuals and mangers at seventeen organizations. We then explored virtual distance as a moderator of the relationship between multitasking and innovation. Our results showed that virtual distance has a significant and negative relationship to innovation. We farther found that virtual distance significantly moderated the relationship between multitasking and innovation. When virtual distance is low, there is a positive relationship and when virtual distance is high, there is a significant curvilinear relationship. The results have implications for the selection of virtual team members and virtual project management activities when critical project outcomes include innovation