Freelance employees integrating their efforts through networked information and communication technologies.
Published in Chapter:
Governing E-Collaboration in E-Lance Networks
Robert Hooker (Florida State University, USA), Carmen Lewis (Florida State University, USA), Hugh Smith (Florida State University, USA), Molly Wasko (Florida State University, USA), James Worrell (Florida State University, USA), and Tom Yoon (Florida State University, USA)
Copyright: © 2008
|Pages: 6
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-59904-000-4.ch050
Abstract
In this article, we focus on the role of brokers as the essential facilitators of e-collaboration. E-lance brokers are Web-based and serve as online clearinghouses for information about customers and their projects, as well as suppliers of services seeking work, allowing knowledge work to be traded like a commodity. Brokers bring together those seeking services and those who can provide those services to meet the particular needs of the customer. The study of the different ecollaboration tools used by e-lance brokers provides important insights into how loosely coupled, autonomous agents exchange services through e-lance forms of organization. Examining the different e-collaboration mechanisms and how these mechanisms translate into successful transactions, is essential for understanding the future of knowledge work. Since knowledge-based work can be codified and shared electronically, such as software development, consulting, translation, and accounting, e-collaboration tools enabled through ICTs present viable alternatives to traditional models of organizing.