6. Changing the rules? Human resources in the 21st century virtual organization

Abstract

To compete in an increasingly volatile global business environment, many firms are choosing to partner with multiple firms, creating a series of independent alliances which have been called virtual organizations. Enabled by the advances in information and communication technologies, these virtual organizations often utilize a different organization structure than traditional organizations. With this new structure comes a need for a deeper understanding of the impacts this structure has on the human resource concerns within the virtual organization. Although much research has focused on the technological and communication requirements for virtual organizations, limited research has been conducted focusing on the broader managerial issues facing these organizations. Using the organizational framework developed by Galbraith (1973), this chapter outlines some of the changes in human resource management that a virtual organization both enables and necessitates and the implications this has for the role and responsibility of managers in the 21st century virtual organization.

Citation

Johnson, R.D. and Isenhour, L.C. (2003), "6. Changing the rules? Human resources in the 21st century virtual organization", Advances in Human Performance and Cognitive Engineering Research (Advances in Human Performance and Cognitive Engineering Research, Vol. 3), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 119-152. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1479-3601(02)03006-0