Correction to “Does trust matter more in virtual teams? A meta-analysis of trust and team effectiveness considering virtuality and documentation as moderators” by Breuer et al. (2016).
Year: 2026
Type: erratum
Abstract: values, is present in the erratum. These errors affect five of the conclusions reached regarding statistically significant subgroup differences. There are no statistically significant differences in the relationship between team trust and task performance based on comparing (a) Ftf and VT, (b) team interactions documented versus not documented, (c) Ftf teams with and without team interactions documented, (d) VT with and without team interactions documented, and (e) cross-sectional data and longitudinal data. In particular, the conclusions reached and practical implications discussed regarding the importance of considering electronically mediated collaboration (Ftf vs. VT) and documentation of team interactions (overall effects of documentation vs. no documentation; documentation vs. no documentation within Ftf teams and VT) in the context of how team trust relates to task performance reported are not supported by the study findings. That is, when the computational errors were corrected, type of team (Ftf vs. VT), documentation (present vs. absent), as well as documentation within each type of team (Ftf, VT), and research design (cross-sectional vs. longitudinal data) were no longer statistically significant moderators of the meta-analytic effect size for team trust and task performance. All three authors do not agree with this correction. In addition, the second and third sentences in Footnote 12 are incorrect. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2016-25877-001). Team trust has often been discussed both as requirement and as challenge for team effectiveness, particularly in virtual teams. However, primary studies on the relationship between trust and team effectiveness have provided mixed findings. The current review summarizes existing studies on team trust and team effectiveness based on meta-analytic methodology. In general, we assumed team trust to facilitate coordination and cooperation in teams, and therefore to be positively related with team effectiveness. Moreover, team virtuality and documentation of interactions were considered as moderators of this relationship because they should affect perceived risks during teamwork. While team virtuality should increase, documentation of interaction should decrease the relationship between team trust and team effectiveness. Findings from 52 studies with 54 independent samples (representing 12,615 individuals in 1,850 teams) confirmed our assumptions. In addition to the positive overall relationship between team trust and team effectiveness criteria (ρ = .33), the relationship between team trust and team performance was stronger in virtual teams (ρ = .33) as compared to face-to-face teams (ρ = .22), and weaker when team interactions were documented (ρ = .20) as compared to no such documentation (ρ = .29). Thus, documenting team interactions seems to be a viable complement to trust-building activities, particularly in virtual teams. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Source: Journal of Applied Psychology
DOI: 10.1037/apl0001390
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7150879794
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