Team Emotional Intelligence and Communication & Collaboration Digital Competence: Comparing Face-to-Face vs. Virtual Communication Settings

Enfoque

Introduction: Team emotional intelligence (TEI) is an essential competence for effective team communication in face-to-face settings. However, just because a team is emotionally intelligent in such settings does not guarantee that it will also be emotionally intelligent in virtual settings. Virtual team communication has advantages such as flexibility, agility, and accessibility, but it can hinder interpersonal relationships and diminish opportunities for casual interactions, increasing the potential for misinterpretation, misunderstandings, and conflicts. In this context, TEI could enhance the positive aspects of virtual communication in work teams and mitigate its negative effects. Considering the growing popularity of virtual work teams, it is crucial to know how TEI works in virtual communication settings. Further, it seems difficult to experience high levels of TEI in a virtual environment without digital competences. In this sense, it is expected that virtual communication also requires team members to be proficiency in the “Communication & Collaboration” digital competence.

Objectives: Based on the Social Presence Theory and the Media Richness Theory, this study aims to analyze whether individuals perceive and manage their emotions differently when interacting in three communication settings: face-to-face, video call (e.g., Zoom), or in-writing (e.g., Google Docs). It also explores whether individuals with an advanced level of the “Communication & Collaboration” digital competence also experience higher levels of TEI when communicating in virtual settings, compared to individuals with a foundation level of this digital competence.

Methodology: Participants (N= 152) completed an online survey to measure four dimensions of TEI: awareness of own emotions, awareness of other’s emotions, management of own emotions, and management of other’s emotions. They had to respond to each item for three communication settings (face-to-face, video call, and in-writing). Participants also responded to the Digital Skills Assessment Tool to measure their level of the digital competence of “Communication & Collaboration”.

Results: Results showed significant mean differences in TEI level according to the communication setting, being higher in face-to-face than via video call, face-to-face than in-writing, and video call than in-writing settings. These significant differences were repeated for each dimension of TEI, except for awareness of own emotions and management of own emotions between video call and in-writing settings. No significant mean differences were found in the level of TEI in virtual communication settings between individuals with an advanced level vs. individuals with a foundation level in the digital competence “Communication & collaboration”.

Conclusions: Our findings underline that high levels of TEI in face-to-face settings do not guarantee that team members are able to experience and manage emotions in virtual settings. As communication continues to shift towards virtual platforms, workers and leaders must learn how to manage emotional processes while working in teams. This skill is crucial for thriving in collaborative online environments and navigating digital team dynamics effectively. While virtual interactions offer convenience and accessibility, they may not fully replicate the depth of emotional connection and understanding found in face-to-face encounters, emphasizing the importance of preserving opportunities for in-person interaction within the organizational context.