Occupational Stress and Organizational Commitment of Employees in Virtual and Traditional Teams: A Comparative Study

The present study is a comparative study of the organizational commitment and occupational stress levels of employees of virtual team and traditional teams. The sample consisted of 100 employees from different software companies of which 50 were from traditional teams and another 50 from virtual teams. Assessment of the organizational commitment was done using Organizational Commitment Scale by Meyer, Allen and Smith (1993) and Occupational Stress is assessed by occupational stress checklist developed by the researcher based on the pilot study conducted. The obtained data was analyzed using the statistical technique of independent t-test to see the difference between traditional and virtual teams on the organizational commitment and occupational stress levels. Results indicate that the teams differ significantly on their organizational commitment level but do not differ significantly on their occupational stress levels. On organizational commitment scale they differed mainly on continuance and normative commitment and were found similar on affective commitment. This study has implications for future research in organizational psychology and socio cultural area. The study emphasizes on the need to understand this concept of virtual teams as it is a relatively new and upcoming field helping these teams to get more equipped and efficient.