ABSTRACT
One set of developments that can be considered under the ambit of virtual working is the growth in intra-and inter-organisational networks. These are often found, for example, in the form of cross-functional and project-based teams whose activities increasingly transcend and cut across not only internal organisational boundaries but external ones too. There is evidence that this way of working is becoming increasingly widespread as a means of facilitating new product development, because such networking allows acquisition and synthesis of particular forms of knowledge across traditional internal and external organisational boundaries. Networking in relation to new product development is also a particularly interesting area of investigation because the innovation networks that arise – whether they are substantially mediated through electronic means or not – frequently seek to transcend spatial and temporal boundaries. In particular, such networking is frequently predicated on a desire to reduce product development lead times and integrate dispersed expertise into the development process.
