E-Collaboration Systems in Virtual Organizations - Recommednations for Tool Support Based on Genre Analysis

Advances in ICT have led to the proliferation of new organizational forms such as the virtual organization (VO). While ICT is seen as the key enabler of VO, its notion in the literature remains quite generic. Moreover, the VO itself is not well understood with regards to the work practices at the group level. Using a case study approach we investigate a subsidiary of a large multi-national corporation, which resembles the typical structures associated with a VO: a distinction between a long-term pool of competencies and the flexible configuration of geographically dispersed, short-term projects. The contribution of our study is twofold: first, we provide an empirical account of communication practices (and their differences) in VO pool and projects, based on a genre analysis. Second, we discuss appropriate e-collaboration systems to support these communication practices. We conclude with implications for future research

Should ‘Virtual’ Mean ‘Vague’? A Plea For More Conceptual Clarity in Researching Virtual Organisations

Around fifteen years ago the concept ‘virtual organisation’ (VO) was coined to describe changes in organisational structures of value creation as a reaction to developments in modern market environments. Since then, the VO as a concept has been used to describe different things in different contexts, so that today we find a rather unsatisfying mix of VO notions in the literature. Moreover, in many articles the VO remains underspecified and vague; sometimes even a mismatch exists between VO definitions provided and examples discussed. Motivated by these observations we carried out a literature analysis to explore differing notions of virtual organisation. The contribution of our study is twofold. First, we identify and describe in conceptual detail three distinct types of VO as the basis for future research endeavours. Second, we point to a need for conceptual clarity in researching VOs in practice, in light of the rather different management challenges of the three identified types