Indian Journal of Industrial Relations: Economics & Social Dev.

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Virtual Meeting Platforms for Online Activities during Covid-19: An Empirical Evidence


Affiliations
1 Department of Industrial and Management Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur-208016, India
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


The Covid-19 pandemic has drastically altered the nature of communication worldwide and across contexts by mainstreaming Virtual Meeting Platforms (VMPs). Even though VMPs existed for more than a decade, the pandemic has accelerated their prevalence in academia and businesses. This paper goes beyond the usual debate on effectiveness of an in-person versus a VMP facilitated online interaction to propose that the effectiveness of VMPs will vary even with the type of online activity. Drawing on the extant literature and deploying a sample of 100 experts from academia and industry, the authors identified five generic components of group interaction, and empirically estimated the relative effectiveness of VMPs in facilitating five common online activities including classes, meetings, interviews.

Keywords

No Keywords
Subscription Login to verify subscription
User
Notifications
Font Size


  • Axtell, P. (2018), “The Most Productive Meetings Have Fewer Than 8 People”, Harvard Business Review, https://hbr.org/2018/06/ the-most-productive-meetings-have-fewerthan-8-people

  • Basch, J. M., Melchers, K. G., Kurz, A., Krieger, M. & Miller, L. (2020), “It Takes More Than a Good Camera: Which Factors Contribute to Differences Between Face-to-face Interviews and Videoconference Interviews Regarding Performance Ratings and Interviewee Perceptions?” Journal of Business and Psychology, 1-20, https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s10869-020-09714-3

  • Bruss, O. E. & Hill, J. M. (2010), “Tell Me More: Online versus Face-to-face Communication and Self-disclosure”, Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research, 15(1): https:// doi.org/10.24839/1089-4136.JN15.1.3

  • Cerf, V. G. (2020), “Implications of the COVID19 Pandemic”, Communications of the ACM, 63(6): 7. https://doi.org/10.1145/3397262

  • Choudhury, P., Foroughi, C. & Larson, B. (2021), “Work from Anywhere: The Productivity Effects of Geographic Flexibility”, Strategic Management Journal, 42(4): 655-83, https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.3251

  • Cole, A. W. (2016), “Testing the Impact of Student Preference for Face-to-face Communication on Online Course Satisfaction”, Western Journal of Communication, 80(5), 619-37, https://doi.org/10.1080/10570314.2016.1186824

  • Doggett, Dr. Anthony Mark (2008), “The Videoconferencing Classroom: What Do Students Think?” Journal of Industrial Teacher Education, 44(4): 29-41: http:// digitalcommons.wku.edu/arch_mfg_fac_ pub/3

  • Easton, S. S. (2003), “Clarifying the Instructor’s Role in Online Distance Learning”, Communication Education, 52(2): 87-105, https://doi.org/10.1080/03634520302470

  • Feijt, M., De Kort, Y., Bongers, I., Bierbooms, J., Westerink, J. & Ijsselsteijn, W. (2020), “Mental Health Care Goes Online: Practitioners’ Experiences of Providing Mental Health Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic”, Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 23(12): 860–64, https:/ /doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2020.0370

  • Gupta, S., Dabas, A., Swarnim, S. & Mishra, D. (2021), “Medical Education During COVID-19 Associated Lockdown: Faculty and Students’ Perspective”, Medical Journal Armed Forces India, 77: S79-S84, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mjafi.2020.12.008

  • Jay, A. (1976), “How to Run a Meeting”, Harvard Business Review, https://hbr.org/ 1976/03/how-to-run-a-meeting Johnson, J. D., Donohue, W. A., Atkin, C. K., & Johnson, S. (1994), “Differences Between Formal and Informal Communication Channels”, The Journal of Business Communication, 31(2): 111-122

  • Krattenmaker, T. (2008), “Make Every Meeting matter”, Harvard Business Review, February 27 https://hbr.org/2008/02/make-everymeeting-matter

  • Laker, B., Godley, W., Kudret, S., Trehan, R. (2021), “4 Tips to Nail a Virtual Job Interview”, Harvard Business Review, March 9, https://hbr.org/2021/03/4-tips-to-nail-avirtual-job-interview

  • Lowenthal, P., Borup, J., West, R. & Archambault, L. (2020), “Thinking Beyond Zoom: Using Asynchronous Video to Maintain Connection and Engagement during the COVID19 Pandemic”, Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 28(2): 383-91. https:// www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/216192

  • Mamtani, H., Karaliuniene, R., De Filippis, R. & Nagendrappa, S. (2021), “Impact of Videoconferencing Applications on Mental Health”, BJPsych International, 1-2, https://doi.org/10.1192/bji.2021.40

  • McQuiggan, C. A. (2007), “The Role of Faculty Development in Online Teaching’s Potential to Question Teaching Beliefs and Assumptions”, Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 10(3)

  • Moorhouse, B. L. (2020), “Adaptations to a Faceto-face Initial Teacher Education Course ‘Forced’ Online Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic”, Journal of Education for Teaching, 46(4): 609-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/ 02607476.2020.1755205

  • National Council of Educational Research and Training. (2014), “Learning Indicators and Learning Outcomes at the Elementary Stage”, http://www.dsek.nic.in/misc/ learningoutcome.pdf

  • Oeppen, R. S., Shaw, G. & Brennan, P. A. (2020), “Human Factors Recognition at Virtual Meetings and Video Conferencing: How to Get the Best Performance from Yourself and Others”, British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 58(6): 643-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjoms.2020 .04.046

  • Ogilvy, J., Nonaka, I. & Konno, N. (2014), “Toward a Narrative Strategy”, World Futures, 70(1): 5-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/02604 027.2014.875718

  • Peper, E., Wilson, V., Martin, M., Rosegard, E. & Harvey, R. (2021), “Avoid Zoom Fatigue, Be Present and Learn”, Neuro Regulation, 8(1): 47–56. https://doi.org/ 10.1554 0/nr.8.1.47

  • Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y. & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003), “Common Method Biases in Behavioral Research: A Critical Review of the Literature and Recommended Remedies”, Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5): 879–903, https://doi.org/10.1037/ 0021-9010.88.5.879

  • Purvanova, R. K. (2014), “Face-to-face versus Virtual Teams: What Have We Really Learned?” The Psychologist-manager Journal, 17(1): 2. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/ 10.1037/mgr0000009

  • Putri, R. S., Purwanto, A., Pramono, R., Asbari, M., Wijayanti, L. M., & Hyun, C. C. (2020). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on online home learning: An explorative study of primary schools in Indonesia. International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology, 29(5): 4809-18. Retrieved from http://sersc.org/journals/index.php/ IJAST/article/view/13867

  • Rashotte, L. S. (2002), “What Does That Smile Mean? The Meaning of Non-verbal Behaviors in Social Interaction”, Social Psychology Quarterly, 65(1):, 92-102, https:// doi.org/10.2307/3090170

  • Rizun, M. & Strzelecki, A. (2020), “Students’ Acceptance of the Covid-19 Impact on Shifting Higher Education to Distance Learning in Poland”, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(18): 6468, https://doi.org/ 10.3390/ijerph17186468

  • Robbins, Stephen P., Judge, Timothy (2017), Organizational Behavior (17th ed), Pearson

  • Rojas-Drummond, S. & Zapata, M. P. (2004), “Exploratory Talk, Argumentation and Reasoning in Mexican Primary School Children”, Language and Education, 18(6): 539- 57, https://doi.org/10.1080/09500780408666900

  • Roos, G., Olah, J., Ingle, R., Kobayashi, R. & Feldt, M. (2020), “Online Conferences– Towards a New (Virtual) Reality”, Computational and Theoretical Chemistry, 1189: 112975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comptc. 2020.112975

  • Saliba, M. (2020), “Getting to Grips with Online Conferences”, Nature Energy, 5(7): 488-90. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-020-0656-z

  • Sedes, C. J. (2019), “Mind Your Metaphors: Early Warning Signals When Rolling Out Strategy”, Journal of Business Strategy, 40(3): 10-17, https://doi.org/10.1108/JBS12-2017-0190

  • Stasser, G. & Taylor, L. A. (1991), “Speaking Turns in Face-to-face Discussions”, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(5): 675-84. https://doi.org/10.1037/ 0022-3514.60.5.675

  • Stoller, J. K. (2021), “A Perspective on the Educational ‘SWOT’ of the Coronavirus Pandemic”, Chest, 159(2): 743-48, https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2020.09.087

  • Strandberg, K. & Grönlund, K. (2012), “Online Deliberation and Its Outcome—Evidence from the Virtual Polity Experiment”, Journal of Information Technology & Politics, 9(2): 167-84, https://doi.org/10.1080/ 19331681.2011.637709

  • Strout, T. D., DiFazio, R. L. & Vessey, J. A. (2017), “Technology-enhanced Focus Groups as a Component of Instrument Development”, Nurse Researcher, 25(1): 16, https://dx.doi.org/10.7748/nr.2017.e 1458

  • van der Kleij, R., Maarten Schraagen, J., Werkhoven, P. & De Dreu, C. K. (2009), “How Conversations Change Over Time in Face-to-face and Video-mediated Communication”, Small Group Research, 40(4): 355-81, https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496409333724

  • World Bank (2020), Productivity Growth, Key Driver of Poverty Reduction, Threatened by COVID-19 Disruptions, Retrieved August 6, 2021, from https://www.world bank.org/en/news/press-release/2020/07/ 14/productivity-growth-threatened-by-covid-19-disruptions

  • Xiao, Y. & Fan, Z. (2020), 10 Technology Trends to Watch in the COVID-19 Pandemic, Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https:// www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/10- technology-trends-coronavirus-covid19- pandemic-robotics-telehealth

  • Yang, I. & Yeh, C. (2021), “A Place and Time for Humor: Leader Humor in Confucian Cultures”, Journal of Management & Organization, 1-17, https://doi.org/10.1017/ jmo.2021.22

  • Zhang, W. & Soon, C. (2017), “The Main and Spillover Effects of Online Deliberation: Changes in Opinions, Informational Media Use and Political Activities”, in 2017 Conference for E-Democracy and Open Government (CeDEM), IEEE, https://doi.org/ 10.1109/CeDEM.2017.21

  • Zhang, W., Davies, T. & Przybylska, A. (2021), “Online Deliberation and# CivicTech: A Symposium”, Journal of Deliberative Democracy, 17(1): 76-77. https://doi.org/ 10.16997/10.16997/jdd.988


Abstract Views: 368

PDF Views: 0




  • Virtual Meeting Platforms for Online Activities during Covid-19: An Empirical Evidence

Abstract Views: 368  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

Amit Shukla
Department of Industrial and Management Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur-208016, India
Vineet Arora
Department of Industrial and Management Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur-208016, India
G. Dushyanth Kumar Reddy
Department of Industrial and Management Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur-208016, India

Abstract


The Covid-19 pandemic has drastically altered the nature of communication worldwide and across contexts by mainstreaming Virtual Meeting Platforms (VMPs). Even though VMPs existed for more than a decade, the pandemic has accelerated their prevalence in academia and businesses. This paper goes beyond the usual debate on effectiveness of an in-person versus a VMP facilitated online interaction to propose that the effectiveness of VMPs will vary even with the type of online activity. Drawing on the extant literature and deploying a sample of 100 experts from academia and industry, the authors identified five generic components of group interaction, and empirically estimated the relative effectiveness of VMPs in facilitating five common online activities including classes, meetings, interviews.

Keywords


No Keywords

References