Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/49036

Title

Structure, strategy and success factors for the virtual organization

Author(s)

Marshall, Peter;  McKay, Judy;  Young, Judy

Abstract

In recent years the notion of the virtual organization has continued to attract a great deal of research attention. Over the last decade an extensive and broad range of literature on the subject has become available. While criticisms were made with regard to the earlier literature, these have now largely been addressed. For example, issues such as the meaning of the 'virtual organization' and confusion in the terms of 'virtual' and 'virtuality' with 'virtuos' and 'virtuousness' are no longer regarded as problematic. According to Walters (2005: 238): 'The concept [virtual organization] has become commonplace in one form or another and to a greater or lesser extent across a range of industries and markets'. This supports the prediction of Black and Edwards (2000) that rather than being a fad, virtual organizations would be used and developed in the foreseeable future. However, there still remains the issue of empirical evidence for many of the assertions made with respect to virtual organizations (Lin and Lu, 2005). Discussion has continued to be focused at a conceptual and theoretical level. Further, it has been proposed that it is not possible to find any guidelines to support how to actually go through the process of establishing a virtual organization (Thorne, 2005). As a consequence, the question of the relevance and veracity of the debate to business practice continues to be justified. In response, this chapter will represent a bold attempt to redress this concern. Overall, this chapter aims to provide a clear theoretical framework, evaluated against empirical evidence, to describe the notion of the virtual organization that has come to be acknowledged as a new organizational form (Walker, 2006). The chapter will articulate our view of the virtual organization, and in particular will attempt to identify its defining characteristics. A number of possible models of the virtual organization will be defined and illustrated by way of real-life case studies.

Publication type

Book chapter

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology. Faculty of Information and Communication Technologies

Source

E-commerce and v-business: digital enterprise in the twenty-first century: 2nd ed. / Stuart Barnes (ed.), pp. 219-244

Publication year

2007

Keyword(s)

Case studies;  Characterisation;  Co-alliance;  E-business;  Management;  Market-alliance;  Success;  Value-alliance;  Virtual organisations

Publisher

Butterworth-Heinemann

ISBN

9780750664936, 0750664932

Publisher URL

http://www.elsevierdirect.com/product.jsp?isbn=9780750664936

Publisher URL

http://books.google.com/books?id=KOh_-ZpX9ugC

Copyright

Copyright © 2000, 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Peer reviewed