VIRTUAL ORGANIZATION AND THE REALITY OF ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

Social life in organizations is marked by complex problems. Particularly the micropolitical intrigue of the different participants concerning their various intentions indicates clearly the complexity of the contents requiring communication. One medium alone is unable to transmit the complex information about social relationships and therefore unlikely to be in the position to carry all the relevant communication references. Hence the need is for a social integration of communication media; that means a combination of media handled by the members of the organizations in accordance with the problems to be solved. Thus not only the actual Solution to the problem is to be considered when efficient communication processes within organizations are discussed, but also the reciprocity of interactions the actors are engaged in has to be taken into account. Given these observations in the light of the discussion about new forms of telecommunication and decentralized organizations, there seems relatively little chance of realizing these new forms of virtual organization.