Virtual integration and segmentation

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to extend Ashforth et al's (2000) integration-segmentation continuum by considering the virtual domain. The focus of the integration-segmentation continuum was on the multiple role identities of individuals and how they combined or separated their physical roles. Schultze's (2012) study illustrated that individuals can have a unidirectional or multi-directional influence between one's physical and virtual performance identities. By focusing on the virtual spaces that professors create when they teach online courses, I address the question of when and why professors create virtual environments that are similar or different from their physical environments.