"I need to be professional until my new team uses emoji, GIFs, or memes first": New Collaborators’ Perspectives on Using Non-Textual Communication in Virtual Workspaces

Title of the Paper

“I need to be professional until my new team uses emoji, GIFs, or memes first”: New Collaborators’ Perspectives on Using Non-Textual Communication in Virtual Workspaces

Paper Information

• Subject Area: Collaboration and Non-Textual Communication in Virtual Workspaces
• Keywords: virtual workspaces, computer-mediated communication, non-textual communication, workplace culture, emojis, social connection, collaboration technologies, work relationships, online teams

Research Background and Problem

• Identified Problems or Challenges:

  • New team members (e.g., interns or new hires) face difficulties in building interpersonal relationships through non-textual communication (e.g., emojis, GIFs, or stickers).
  • Virtual work environments lack the non-verbal cues inherent in face-to-face communication, such as facial expressions and tone of voice.
  • Unfamiliarity with team culture and organizational norms can increase misunderstandings and communication stress for new team members.
  • Using non-textual communication in professional settings is often perceived as unprofessional, further limiting its use.

• Importance of the Problem:

  • Smooth interpersonal relationships are critical for team efficiency and a healthy work environment.
  • With the widespread adoption of virtual work environments due to the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring ways to effectively support new team members in integrating into virtual teams has become increasingly important.

• Research Motivation and Related Work:

  • Previous studies have primarily focused on non-verbal communication in physical workspaces, with limited research on how new team members use non-textual communication to build relationships in virtual workspaces.
  • This paper aims to fill the research gap in workplace virtual communication, particularly in the context of non-textual communication, and provide insights for improving design and enhancing user experience.

Solution

• Proposed Methods or Solutions:

  1. Conduct surveys (N=49) and semi-structured interviews (N=14) with new team members to study their use of non-textual communication for building team relationships and the challenges they encounter.
  2. Analyze the coping strategies of new team members and identify design opportunities on existing platforms.

• Innovative Contributions:

  • Examines the role of non-textual communication in virtual work from the perspective of new team members, a direction rarely explored in previous research.
  • Proposes design improvements to optimize virtual platforms for more effective non-textual communication.

• Implementation Steps and Key Techniques:

  1. Recruit survey and interview participants through mainstream social media and university channels.
  2. Use open coding to conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis of the interview and survey results.
  3. Summarize common challenges, coping strategies, and design recommendations based on the findings.

Research Outcomes

• Specific Findings:

  1. The majority of new team members (34/49) used non-textual communication (e.g., emojis, GIFs, and stickers) to build team relationships, despite initial hesitation from some individuals.
  2. Non-textual communication was shown to have a positive impact on conveying emotions and fostering social connections among team members.
  3. Identified a gradual communication strategy where new team members adapt to non-textual communication by observing the behavior of senior members.
  4. Recognized common personal and technical barriers, such as unfamiliarity with team culture, technical compatibility issues, and difficulty in finding appropriate symbols.

• Advantages Compared to Existing Solutions:

  • Fills a research gap in workplace communication and virtual collaboration, particularly regarding the acceptance and adaptation of non-textual communication by new team members.
  • Provides actionable design recommendations, such as expanding the interpretive scope of non-textual symbols, improving their explainability, and enhancing the speed of symbol retrieval.

• Experimental or Evaluation Results:

  • Surveys and interviews revealed that while perceptions of non-textual communication varied due to factors like culture and age, most participants eventually embraced this form of communication.
  • Through observation and cultural adaptation, new members gradually overcame ambiguity or discomfort.

• Limitations and Future Directions:

  1. The sample primarily consisted of younger participants aged 18-44; future research could focus on other age groups and more diverse national backgrounds.
  2. The study did not examine the acceptance of non-textual communication by senior team members toward new members.
  3. Future research could conduct longitudinal diary studies to explore how familiarity growth impacts non-textual communication habits.

Output Format

This paper provides valuable insights for virtual team communication and user experience design, serving as a useful reference for further development of virtual collaboration tools and optimization of onboarding experiences for team members.