★ A 'Virtual Organization' is an organization existing as a
corporate,
not-for-profit,
educational, or otherwise
productive entity that does not have a central geographical location and exists solely through
telecommunication tools.
★ A 'Virtual Organization' comprises a set of (legally) independent organizations that share resources and skills to achieve its mission / goal, but that is not limited to an alliance of for profit enterprises. The interaction among members of the virtual organization is mainly done through computer networks. A Virtual Organization is a manifestation of
Collaborative Networks. See also
Virtual Enterprise.
★ 'Virtual Organization Management' is a modern discipline founded by Pierre Coupet, the world's foremost expert on Virtual Organization Management, in April 1997. Virtual Organization Management takes a macroview of an entire organization from top to bottom and seeks to institute and incorporate best practices, policies and procedures for working in any type of virtual environment and for managing any specific virtual organization. Virtual Organization Management differs substantially from 'Virtual Team Consulting' in that virtual team consulting is engagement specific and deals with a microview of an existing virtual situation.
★ In
business a 'Virtual Organization' is a firm that
outsources the majority of its functions; see
virtual corporation.
★ In
grid computing, a Virtual Organization is a group of individuals or institutions who share the computing resources of a "grid" for a common goal; see
utility computing
See also
★
Organization
★
Virtual workplaces
★
Emerging Virtual Institutions