Emergence of virtual or network organizations: fad or feature

Abstract

The information age has highlighted the complex nature of our organizing systems. Complex systems move between ordered and disordered states. Ordered states condense near attractor points which include bifurcation points where order is redefined for the system. Such points have occurred repeatedly in our economy over the past decade, causing an unpredictable environment. As our economy moves from a stable state, a different set of organizing rules is needed. When this new set of organizing rules are overlaid with the conditions and processes facilitated by the use of advanced communication and computing technology, we find that virtual or network organizations are an emerging logical form for organizing.

Contextual Factors Associated with Information Systems in a Virtual Supply Chain

“…An organization has been defined as a virtual organization when the virtual dimension of the organization's activities becomes, or is, the dominant method of conducting business [5]. Virtual dimension in this context is the performing and completion of supply chain activities, facilitated by the extranet, which previously required a physical presence.…”

“…In the traditional organization the underlying assumption is that the structure of the organization and methods of working will be in existence for a sustained period of time. In this situation the boundaries of work, the critical success factors and possible changes can be identified [5]. In contrast, a complex system, such as the virtual organization, may appear to be simple but it is premised on non-linear dynamic relationships such as feedback and/or learning curves and will only be predictable in the short-term [5].…”

“…In this situation the boundaries of work, the critical success factors and possible changes can be identified [5]. In contrast, a complex system, such as the virtual organization, may appear to be simple but it is premised on non-linear dynamic relationships such as feedback and/or learning curves and will only be predictable in the short-term [5]. The overriding factor that differentiates a virtual organization from a traditional organization is the reliance and dependence on the information and communications technology infrastructure rather than the bricks and mortar environment [33].…”

“…Virtual enterprises have been described as operating on the edge of chaos with change and rapid change being about the only constant [5].…”

Sensemaking in virtual settings: a practice-based approach

“…This need has been felt particularly in the field of Organisation Studies (OS), but also in several other disciplines within the social sciences such as information science (see Burkhard & Horan, 2006;Fuller, Hardin, & Davidson, 2007;Gallivan, 2001;Greener, 2009) and communications (see Churchill & Erickson, 2003;Gareis, 2006;Lee, Shin, & Higa, 2007;Walther & Bunz, 2005). In the field of OS, focus has been on conceptualising and investigating the phenomena of virtual organisations (VOs) (Black & Edwards, 2000;Kasper-Fuehrer & Ashkanasy, 2004;Pedersen & Nagengast, 2008) and virtual teams (VTs) (Bell & Kozlowski, 2002;Lin, Standing, & Lui, 2008). Also, the more specific activities of these VOs and VTs has been examined, for example virtual trust (Kasper-Fuehrer & Ashkanasy, 2001), virtual decision making (Hague & Loader, 1999), virtual leadership (Pauleen, 2003), virtual collaboration (Peters & Manz, 2007;Pyoria, 2009), virtual innovation (Kohler, Matzler, & Fuller, 2009), virtual communities of practice (Zhang & Watts, 2008), virtual identity (Bers, 2001;, and virtual knowledge management (Cecez-Kecmanovic, 2004;Ratcheva, 2008).…”