Professor Mirbabaie addresses in a recent publication the usage of virtual assistants to save valuable resources, especially when employees are assisted with work-related tasks. However, the effect of VAs on virtual teams and collaboration remains uncertain, particularly whether employees show social loafing (SL) tendencies, i.e., applying less effort for collective tasks compared to working alone. The results indicate SL tendencies in virtual collaboration with VAs and that participants tend to cede responsibility to the VA. This study extends the information systems (IS) literature by analyzing SL and responsibility attribution thus updates our knowledge on virtual collaboration with VAs.
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