The moderating role of culture in social media-based spatial imagery, consumer xenocentrism, and word-of-mouth for global virtual teams

This study investigates how culture moderates the interrelationships among social spatial imagery (SSI), consumer xenocentrism (C-XEN), electronic word-of-mouth (eWoM), and overall project performance for global virtual teams (GVTs) in social media networked environments. In a sample of 1240 participants from developed economies (the United States and Italy) versus 1176 from emerging economies (China, India, Colombia, Brazil, and Malaysia), partial least squares structural equation modeling and multigroup analyses were conducted to examine the above social media-based interrelationships. The results indicate that low power distance (PD), individualist, and masculine cultures exert strong and positive relationships between C-XEN and negative eWoM; while high PD, collectivist, and less masculine (or feminine) cultures strengthen positive relationships between xenocentrism and positive eWoM. Further, negative eWoM aids project success for GVTs, while positive eWoM has no impact on project performance for developed and emerging economies. Theoretical and managerial implications for understanding cross-cultural aspects of SSI, C-XEN, eWoM, and GVT project performance in online social networks are discussed.