Data suggests a statistically significant positive relationship between commitment
to team goals and conflict management. That is, teams that focus their initial efforts on
establishing clear goals for the team and whose members are committed to those goals
were more likely to prevent and manage conflict more effectively. This results support
prior findings in other contexts suggesting that commitment to team goals and shared
responsibility for the team outcomes serve a directive function; they help the team
direct attention and effort toward goal-relevant activities and away from
goal-irrelevant activities (Tekleab et al., 2009). Goal commitment and goal clarity is
especially critical for VTs due to their reduced social presence (Pazos and Beruvides,
2011). Our findings support the idea that formalizing work processes and
responsibilities during the goal setting process, increasing transparency and
accountability are a critical elements to support constructive conflict and increase
cohesiveness in VTs.