Exploring the Virtual Work Environment: A Process Perspective

Katherine M. Chudoba, Utah State University
Mary Beth Watson-Manheim, University of Illinois at Chicago

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Originally published by World Scientific Publishing. Chapter fulltext available through remote link.

Abstract

In the 20th century, the use of ICT allowed organizations to stretch themselves in time and space, morphing from primarily a physical form to an electronic or virtual work environment (VWE)1 entity. Operations have been pushed farther and farther into the realm of communications and away from anything that could be done without a communications network. As companies become increasingly informatted (2) and make use of individual employee's expertise and knowledge, they become more dependent on the individual to adjust direction and adapt to the changing environment. ICTs, therefore, have forced a shift in view even as they facilitate a shift in physical circumstances (3).