The Role of Virtual Team Leadership in Enhancing Virtual Sales Team Performance

This study explores the impact of virtual team leadership on the performance of virtual sales teams, guided by the Input-Process-Output (IPO) theoretical framework. Specifically, the research examines how virtual team leadership influences team cohesion and sales technology orientation, and how these processes, in turn, affect team performance. Data for this study were gathered using a structured questionnaire administered to 282 individuals engaged in sales-related occupations in Bangladesh. The collected data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with the help of SmartPLS version 3.3.3. The findings reveal that virtual team leadership has a significant positive effect on team performance and enhances both team cohesion and sales technology orientation. However, only sales technology orientation mediates the relationship between leadership and team performance, highlighting its critical role in enabling virtual teams to achieve high levels of productivity and customer engagement. Conversely, team cohesion does not significantly impact performance in this context, suggesting that technology competence is a more decisive factor in digital sales environments. This study contributes to the literature by refining the IPO framework for virtual teams and underscores the importance of technological orientation as a key process variable in driving team success. Practical implications suggest that virtual leaders should prioritize technology adoption and digital readiness to optimize team outcomes.