Will virtual collaboration outlive the virus?

Abstract: In response to COVID-19 and the subsequent measures taken against the further spread of the virus, organizations have moved much of their activities online. Consequently, employees have been forced to work from home and rely on virtual collaboration (VC) tools to communicate with colleagues and clients. In the midst of this global transition to virtual means of working, this paper investigates the experience of the working population with virtual collaboration and the implications this period will have on how organizational collaboration will be achieved in the future. The research consisted of two main methods: (1) A questionnaire (164 respondents) based on two models (Davis’s (1986) Technology Acceptance Model and Denstadli et. al’s (2012) task- and relational dimension model) targeted at the working population, and (2) semi-structured follow up interviews with respondents. The main findings are that (1) the continuance intent of VC technology is related to its ease of use and utility, (2) these factors are shaped by organizational support, (3) the transition to virtual ways of working has been the cause of organizational learning about the opportunities of VC, and (4) the choice of meeting formats are increasingly becoming the conclusion of a negotiation process between those involved.