ABSTRACT
Organizations are increasingly using information technology (IT) and digital connections in ways that enable virtual work. Whereas early use of IT by organizations tended to automate routine and labor-intensive processes, the increasing sophistication of soft ware and multiplying memory capacities have allowed the broader availability of information and, in the process, have facilitated possibilities for working virtually. As Zammuto, Griffith, Majchrzak, Dougherty, and Faraj (2007, p. 752) have noted, “IT has become inextricably intertwined with social relations to weave the fabric of organization.” For purposes of this chapter, virtual work refers to job activities that are conducted to a substantial degree through computer-mediated means, rather than face to face, oft en in geographically distributed and time differentiated mode. The increasing integration of computers and communication technology (such as high-quality videoconferencing, online discussion threads, and wireless Internet solutions and products) is continually enabling further growth of the virtual workforce. For example, according to the U.S. Census Bureau (2002), virtual work accounted for more than 15% of the U.S. workforce and was estimated to be growing nearly 30% per year not only in the United States, but globally (Golden & Raghuram, 2010; Ruiz & Walling, 2005; WorldatWork, 2007). A more recent survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults estimated that the number of Americans involved in virtual work increased from approximately 12.4 million in 2006 to 17.2 million in 2008 (WorldatWork, 2009).
