[8] 2002 e-business-strategies-for-virtual-organizations

e-Business Strategies for Virtual Organizations
the development of online communities where a shared culture
of common practices is a key factor in effective development and
maintenance. Finally, the whole issue of global expansion is
placed under the spotlight and the implications for the future
examined.
In future, an organization’s success within the global
e-community will require culture-focused organizations where
communities allow for:
� Differentiation and the creation of attractive communities.
� Creation of unique value propositions.
� The ability to be a ‘good citizen’ and to enter into engaging
dialogues with other members of the e-community.
11.2 e-business cultures
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11.2.1 Organizational cultures
Schein (1996) defines culture as a set of basic tacit assumptions
that a group of people share about how the world is and ought
to be; it determines their perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and to
some degree, their overt behaviour. Culture manifests itself at
three levels:
� the level of deep tacit assumptions that are the essence of the
culture;
� the level of espoused values that often reflect what a group
wishes ideally to be and the way it wants to present itself
publicly; and
� the day-to-day behaviour that represents a complex compromise
among the espoused values, the deeper assumptions,
and the immediate requirements of the situation.
Overt behaviours cannot be used alone to decipher culture
because situational contingencies often make us behave in a
manner that is inconsistent with our deeper values and
assumptions.
11.2.2 Culture and IT
The impact of information and communication technologies
(ICT) has extended far beyond organizational boundaries and
permeates almost every aspect of daily life around much of
the globe. Many of the changes which ICT has brought about
were foreseen and have been well documented. The concepts