Virtuality and the Future of Organizations

Abstract

This chapter aims at drawing a picture of how organizations are likely to develop in the context of “virtuality,” i.e., following the impact of technologies relevant to the information society. Organizations will expand their traditional boundaries to form new organizational patterns that will allow them to adapt to the changing environment of the information society as well as to exploit the opportunities of a digital economy. The chapter, therefore, shows how research, in particular research that was supported under the European Commission’s R&D programs, has played a significant role in shaping these developments. The research aimed at developing the underpinning information and communication technologies as well as at understanding the business processes and the socioeconomic impact of virtual organizations. Although many of the features of this new organizational paradigm are still not fully understood, there is hope that organizations in the future will be smart in various respects and will develop in a way that maximizes the leveraging of knowledge and innovation.