Managing in Virtual Organizations

As interest in the virtual organization grows apace, this text considers the key issues in managing virtual organizations, starting from the building blocks of intangible capital: technology, knowledge and virtual "space". It then reflects on the use of the virtual organization as a strategic option, how general managers of virtual organizations should be trained, how they should operate, and the new skills they require. In particular the book considers: different concepts of intangible capital, widely perceived as being the new source of wealth; knowledge - the lifeblood of the virtual organization - looking at its nature and role in organizations, and how it is managed; how technology functions as an enabler of virtual organizations; how much "virtuality" is a function of machine space, and how much it exists in the human mind; and how people can be managed in virtual terms, both when working over geographically dispersed areas and when working in primarily mental realms.