Understanding the Virtual Organization

I found this book to be an excellent aid for a MBA assignment I had to do in regards to the virtual workplace.The book covers everything you need to know about the virtual organisation from defining what a virtual organisation is, through to preparing for the future.The book explains how and why the virtual organisation has come about along with it's advantages and disadvantages and of course the all important question of managing the virtual employee.The authors are very concise and there is excellent use of bullet points, checklists and summaries. This is an excellent starting point to gaining a good understanding of the virtual organisation and thoroughly recommended.

Here is the description the authors provide for the book: "This book aims to introduce managers to the trends leading to the creation of the virtual organization, as well as to concentrate on the better-known aspects of the concept, such a telecommuting, outsourcing, and strategic partnerships, which are in use today."The definitional analysis of virtual organizations find little commonality beyond new structures that are faciliatated by improved telecommunications technologies, harnessing various forms of greater organizational flexibility, and requiring a higher level of trust to operate effectively. That's another way of saying that no two virtual organizations are the same. Nor should they be, because everyone company's situation is different. The authors point out that the concept is not new. Companies like Nike have been employing this approach for many years. The book goes on to explore the stalls that delay progress toward and in a virtual organization (such as problems in setting up successful alliances), dangers of having a virtual organization (especially the uncertainty and stress that it creates for employees and contract workers), and the irresistible forces at work that create demand for such an organization (globalization, technological trends, and volatile markets). The book has a number of case histories that are effective in elucidating the authors' points. The book also provides a useful personal developmental planning summary for your consideration while working in or with a virtual organization. The book ends with a checklist to help you prepare for the future in this area. You will not need such an organization when there is no strategic fit with potential partners, you have all of the core competencies you need inside already, trust-sharing would be very difficult to create, there is a high probability of losing strategic knowledge, or the project is ill-defined. Due to its brevity, the book can do little more than provide an overview of where the structure has been and why it has evolved that way. I graded the book down one star for having an overly narrow focus to be a fully useful introduction to the subject.The perspective on the future evolution of virtual organizations is too limited to be of much value. That is a subject that Carol Coles and I address in The Irresistible Growth Enterprise, if you are interested in more. The book is certainly a good overview of the subject if you have never seen a virtual organization. On the other hand, you could learn more in an hour by visiting one and seeing how it operates from the inside out than you could by reading this book. If you are truly interested, go visit three or more such organizations. Then, you can use this book to give you a framework for thinking about which aspects of a virtual organization could make sense for your organization. At that point, you will want to review books more specifically aimed at aspe