Becoming Virtual
Knowledge Management and Transformation of the Distributed Organization

Authors: Dr. Paul D. Jackson
Editors: Professor Jane E. Klobas



Examines the capabilities needed to transform a globally distributed organization into a virtual organization

Techniques are applied in an extended case study

This book examines the capabilities needed to transform a globally distributed organization into a virtual organization (an organization that exists and operates across time and distance with the support of global communications technologies such as the Internet). It introduces techniques for definition of goals for virtualization, for monitoring progress toward virtualization and for studying the impact of virtualization on social uncertainty, knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer, organizational memory, transactive memory, communities of practice and organizational commitment, power and control. These techniques are applied in an extended case study of a development aid organization's attempts to use knowledge management for virtualization over a two year period. The multidisciplinary team of authors examines virtualization from points of view ranging from the organizational to the technological to the sociological and psychological.

Table of contents

Front Matter

Introduction
• Introduction

Envisioning and Planning for Virtualization
• Front Matter
• Aligning Goals, Virtuality and Capability: A Virtual Alignment Model
• Envisioning and Monitoring the Process of Becoming Virtual
• The Challenge of Becoming Virtual

New Insights into Knowledge Management and Virtualization
• Front Matter
• Social Uncertainty in Virtual Organizations: A Preliminary Ontology of the Constituent Elements
• When Communities of Practice Fail: Community Ties and Organizational Commitment
• An Exploratory Survey of the Structure and Components of Organizational Memory
• The Organization as a Transactive Memory System
• Adoption of Technologies for Virtual Work
• Monitoring, Control and the Performance of Virtual Work

Understanding Virtualization
• Front Matter
• The Challenge of Becoming Virtual, Part 2
• Reflections from the Frontline: The Journey of a Knowledge Manager
• The Forensics of a Challenged Initiative
• Tools and Capabilities for Becoming Virtual

Back Matter