IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/ororsc/v23y2012i5p1485-1504.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Lure of the Virtual

Author

Listed:
  • Diane E. Bailey

    (School of Information, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78701)

  • Paul M. Leonardi

    (Department of Communication Studies, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208)

  • Stephen R. Barley

    (Center for Work, Technology, and Organization, Department of Management Science and Engineering, Huang Engineering Center, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305)

Abstract

Although organizational scholars have begun to study virtual work, they have yet to fully grapple with its diversity. We draw on semiotics to distinguish among three types of virtual work (virtual teams, remote control, and simulations) based on what it is that a technology makes virtual and whether work is done with or on , through , or within representations. Of the three types, simulations have been least studied, yet they have the greatest potential to change work's historically tight coupling to physical objects. Through a case study of an automobile manufacturer, we show how digital simulation technologies prompted a shift from symbolic to iconic representation of vehicle performance. The increasing verisimilitude of iconic simulation models altered workers' dependence on each other and on physical objects, leading management to confound operating within representations with operating with or on representations. With this mistaken understanding, and lured by the virtual, managers organized simulation work in virtual teams, thereby distancing workers from the physical referents of their models and making it difficult to empirically validate models. From this case study, we draw implications for the study of virtual work by examining how changes to work organization vary by type of virtual work.

Suggested Citation

  • Diane E. Bailey & Paul M. Leonardi & Stephen R. Barley, 2012. "The Lure of the Virtual," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(5), pages 1485-1504, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:23:y:2012:i:5:p:1485-1504
    DOI: 10.1287/orsc.1110.0703
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1110.0703
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/orsc.1110.0703?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mark Dodgson & David M. Gann & Ammon Salter, 2007. "“In Case of Fire, Please Use the Elevator”: Simulation Technology and Organization in Fire Engineering," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(5), pages 849-864, October.
    2. Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa & Dorothy E. Leidner, 1999. "Communication and Trust in Global Virtual Teams," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 10(6), pages 791-815, December.
    3. Richard J. Boland & Kalle Lyytinen & Youngjin Yoo, 2007. "Wakes of Innovation in Project Networks: The Case of Digital 3-D Representations in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(4), pages 631-647, August.
    4. Wai Fong Boh & Yuqing Ren & Sara Kiesler & Robert Bussjaeger, 2007. "Expertise and Collaboration in the Geographically Dispersed Organization," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(4), pages 595-612, August.
    5. Anca Metiu, 2006. "Owning the Code: Status Closure in Distributed Groups," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 17(4), pages 418-435, August.
    6. Chaminade, Cristina & Vang, Jan, 2008. "Globalisation of knowledge production and regional innovation policy: Supporting specialized hubs in the Bangalore software industry," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(10), pages 1684-1696, December.
    7. Youngjin Yoo & Richard J. Boland & Kalle Lyytinen, 2006. "From Organization Design to Organization Designing," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 17(2), pages 215-229, April.
    8. Martha L. Maznevski & Katherine M. Chudoba, 2000. "Bridging Space Over Time: Global Virtual Team Dynamics and Effectiveness," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 11(5), pages 473-492, October.
    9. F. Ted Tschang, 2007. "Balancing the Tensions Between Rationalization and Creativity in the Video Games Industry," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(6), pages 989-1005, December.
    10. Diane E. Bailey & Paul M. Leonardi & Jan Chong, 2010. "Minding the Gaps: Understanding Technology Interdependence and Coordination in Knowledge Work," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(3), pages 713-730, June.
    11. Pamela J. Hinds & Diane E. Bailey, 2003. "Out of Sight, Out of Sync: Understanding Conflict in Distributed Teams," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(6), pages 615-632, December.
    12. Samer Faraj & Lee Sproull, 2000. "Coordinating Expertise in Software Development Teams," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 46(12), pages 1554-1568, December.
    13. Catherine Durnell Cramton, 2001. "The Mutual Knowledge Problem and Its Consequences for Dispersed Collaboration," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(3), pages 346-371, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sidhu, Jatinder S. & Volberda, Henk W., 2011. "Coordination of globally distributed teams: A co-evolution perspective on offshoring," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 278-290, June.
    2. repec:ipg:wpaper:2014-201 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Anca Metiu, 2006. "Owning the Code: Status Closure in Distributed Groups," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 17(4), pages 418-435, August.
    4. Ambos, Tina C. & Ambos, Björn & Eich, Katharina J. & Puck, Jonas, 2016. "Imbalance and Isolation: How Team Configurations Affect Global Knowledge Sharing," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 316-332.
    5. Eunkwang Seo & Hyo Kang & Jaeyong Song, 2020. "Blending talents for innovation: Team composition for cross-border R&D collaboration within multinational corporations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(5), pages 851-885, July.
    6. Vahtera, Pekka & Buckley, Peter & Aliyev, Murod, 2017. "Affective conflict and identification of knowledge sources in MNE teams," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 881-895.
    7. Cristina B. Gibson & Jennifer L. Gibbs & Taryn L. Stanko & Paul Tesluk & Susan G. Cohen, 2011. "Including the “I” in Virtuality and Modern Job Design: Extending the Job Characteristics Model to Include the Moderating Effect of Individual Experiences of Electronic Dependence and Copresence," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(6), pages 1481-1499, December.
    8. Ann Majchrzak & Arvind Malhotra & Richard John, 2005. "Perceived Individual Collaboration Know-How Development Through Information Technology–Enabled Contextualization: Evidence from Distributed Teams," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 16(1), pages 9-27, March.
    9. Michael Boyer O'Leary & Mark Mortensen, 2010. "Go (Con)figure: Subgroups, Imbalance, and Isolates in Geographically Dispersed Teams," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(1), pages 115-131, February.
    10. Glikson, Ella & Erez, Miriam, 2020. "The emergence of a communication climate in global virtual teams," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(6).
    11. Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa & Thomas R. Shaw & D. Sandy Staples, 2004. "Toward Contextualized Theories of Trust: The Role of Trust in Global Virtual Teams," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 15(3), pages 250-267, September.
    12. Iván Alfaro & Ranganathan Chandrasekaran, 2015. "Software Quality and Development Speed in Global Software Development Teams," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 57(2), pages 91-102, April.
    13. Eunkwang Seo & Hyo Kang & Jaeyong Song, 0. "Blending talents for innovation: Team composition for cross-border R&D collaboration within multinational corporations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 0, pages 1-35.
    14. Jonathon N. Cummings, 2004. "Work Groups, Structural Diversity, and Knowledge Sharing in a Global Organization," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 50(3), pages 352-364, March.
    15. Ofir Turel & Catherine E. Connelly, 2012. "Team Spirit: The Influence of Psychological Collectivism on the Usage of E-Collaboration Tools," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 21(5), pages 703-725, September.
    16. Pamela J. Hinds & Diane E. Bailey, 2003. "Out of Sight, Out of Sync: Understanding Conflict in Distributed Teams," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(6), pages 615-632, December.
    17. repec:ipg:wpaper:40 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Daniel Tzabbar & Alex Vestal, 2015. "Bridging the Social Chasm in Geographically Distributed R&D Teams: The Moderating Effects of Relational Strength and Status Asymmetry on the Novelty of Team Innovation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(3), pages 811-829, June.
    19. Nabila Jawadi & Dominique Bonet, 2013. "An examination of the factors influencing relationship building and performance in virtual R&D project teams," Working Papers 2013-40, Department of Research, Ipag Business School.
    20. Pamela J. Hinds & Mark Mortensen, 2005. "Understanding Conflict in Geographically Distributed Teams: The Moderating Effects of Shared Identity, Shared Context, and Spontaneous Communication," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(3), pages 290-307, June.
    21. Mary M. Maloney & Mary E. Zellmer-Bruhn, 2006. "Building bridges, windows and cultures: Mediating mechanisms between team heterogeneity and performance in global teams," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 46(6), pages 697-720, December.
    22. Isabell M. Welpe & Andranik Tumasjan & Maria Strobel, 2010. "Construal Level Theory–Eine Theorie für die grenzenlose Unternehmung?," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 62(62), pages 84-105, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:23:y:2012:i:5:p:1485-1504. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.