Nicolette Papastefanou () (Department of Public Relations and Business Communication, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa) SE Arnoldi-van der Walt (Department of Public Relations and Business Communication, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa)
Abstract
The virtual organisation challenges traditional management assumptions because a new means of coordinating globally dispersed employees is needed. To understand the collective activities of a workforce separated by space and time, this paper describes a complexity science-based management framework for virtual organisations. Specific focus is on a South African virtual organisation as a complex adaptive system. A single, embedded case study strategy was followed, and multiple data sources used to generate theory. In this paper, results are reported that clarify the management of an organisation where technology replaces conventional face-to-face contexts for socialisation and assimilation. The paper shows how managers create a virtual context for sharing meaning and interaction through synergy, empowerment, participation and an accountable, committed workforce.
Download Info
To download:
If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the
proper application to
view it first. Information about this may be contained
in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read
the IDEAS help
page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS
site. Please be patient as the files may be large.