Virtual surface acting in workplace interactions: Choosing the best technology to fit the task

Area of Science:

• Organizational Behavior
• Communication Studies
• Psychology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift to virtual work, emphasizing the need for emotional authenticity.
• Displaying required emotions (surface acting) can lead to negative perceptions of inauthenticity.
• Understanding communication media's role in emotional authenticity is crucial for effective remote collaboration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how communication media choice affects perceptions of emotional inauthenticity.
• To examine the interpersonal consequences of using different communication channels for emotional expression.
• To identify optimal communication strategies for both authentic and inauthentic emotional displays in virtual settings.

Main Methods:

• Conducted two experiments and a parent-teacher survey in international schools in Vietnam.
• Analyzed the impact of communication media richness (e.g., email, phone, face-to-face) on perceived emotional authenticity.
• Investigated mechanisms of emotional leakage and perceived effort across different media.

Main Results:

• Richer media (face-to-face) are perceived as more authentic for expressing genuine emotions.
• Less rich media (email) are effective for masking emotional leakage.
• Medium-rich media (phone/audio) improve outcomes for inauthentic emotional displays by masking nonverbal cues while appearing high-effort.

Conclusions:

• Communication media choice significantly influences perceptions of emotional authenticity in virtual work.
• For genuine emotional expression, richer communication channels are optimal.
• For managing inauthentic emotional displays, medium-rich channels offer a strategic advantage in masking leakage and maintaining perceived effort.