A self-managing virtual (SMV) team is a configuration that permits team leaders to manage and administer their team with limited supervisory... Show moreA self-managing virtual (SMV) team is a configuration that permits team leaders to manage and administer their team with limited supervisory oversight. These teams are widespread in software and engineering environments where resources may be scattered globally (Yukl, 2009). Research into SMV team leadership is, however, in its early stages. Scholars have yet to confirm that traditional leadership theories operate in this theater. Additionally, the slate of leader roles that describe leadership and how these leaders affect success is not well understood. Research into emergent leadership provides limited insight into virtual teams, but current research fails to examine how emergent leaders manifest in the presence of an appointed leader. This study examines the relationship between emergent leadership and team success using the Behavioral Complexity Leadership theory or Leaderplex. In the experiment, two virtual teams attempted a series of interdependent, complex tasks across a series of weeks. This analysis confirmed that leader roles could adequately describe leadership in virtual teams. SMV leaders focused specifically on the Monitor role with the remaining roles left distributed among the membership. The appointed leader condition did not suppress leader roles, however, in this study the appointed leader negatively affected team performance. Lastly, two perspectives (Perception and Practice) showed little correlation between leader roles. The study, conducted using the synthetic milieu of a popular MMO --World of Warcraft, served to push the envelope of permissible social science research environments. PH.D in Technical Communication, May 2014 Show less