The mediating effect of group development on satisfaction in a virtual and mixed-mode environment

This study explores the mediating effect of two aspects of group development (workgroup cohesion and conflict management) on five aspects of satisfaction (solution satisfaction, solution confidence, interaction process satisfaction, perceived decision quality, and level of teamwork). The independent variable, interaction mode, has two treatments: mixed-mode, a combination of face-to-face (FtF) and computer-mediated communication (CMC), and pure CMC (no FtF interaction). Members of mixed-mode groups rated their groups higher in terms of cohesiveness, the ability to manage conflict, and all aspects of satisfaction. Members of more highly developed groups rated themselves higher on all satisfaction variables compared to members of lesser-developed groups. Findings indicate that workgroup cohesion mediated all satisfaction variables, while conflict management mediated all satisfaction variables except for solution confidence.