It is argued that adopting a networked organisational model improves organisational performance and provides opportunities for innovation and creativity. The model is premised on introducing a range of information and communication technology (ICT) into the work environment. ICTs establish a fundamentally different interface between workers and their tasks and also connect managers and workers in new ways that require re-conceptualising of labour management relations. This process necessitates adapting existing organisational structures and systems to account for changes in the way work is scheduled and organised and the way workers are managed. It is argued that organisations implementing such new organisational forms create non-traditional organisational boundaries and fewer bureaucratic structures through forming networks. These network arrangements may present an opportunity for shifting the labour management control nexus.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Arrow KJ (1971) Essays in the Theory of Risk-Bearing. Chicago: Markham .
2.
Braverman H (1974) Labor and Monopoly Capital: The Degradation of Work in the Twentieth Century. New York: Monthly Review Press .
3.
Brown CJ (1999) Towards a strategy for project management implementation . South African Journal of Business Management30: 33–39 .
4.
Brown K , Callaghan A , Keast R (2002) The role of central agencies in ‘crowded’ policy domains . Sixth International Research Symposium on Public Management8–10 April 2002, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
5.
Camuffo A (2002) The changing nature of internal labour markets . Journal of Management and Governance6: 281–294 .
6.
Castells M (2000) Materials for an exploratory theory of the network society . British Journal of Sociology51 (1): 5–24 .
7.
Dufty NF , Fells RE (1989) Dynamics of Industrial Relations in Australia. Sydney: Prentice Hall .
8.
Godard J , Delaney JT (2000) Reaections on the “high performance” paradigm's implications for industrial relations as a .eld . Industrial & Labor Relations Review53 (3): 482–502 .
9.
Handy C (1995) Trust in the virtual organisation . Harvard Business Review73 (3): 40–50 .
10.
Herndon S (1997) Theory and practice: Implications for the implementation of communication technology in organisations . Journal of Business Communication34 (1): 121–129 .
11.
Hippel Ev (1994) Sticky information and the locus of problem solving: Implications for innovations . Management Science40: 429–439 .
12.
Jackson P , Stainsby L (2000) Managing public sector networked organisations. Public Money and Management January–March: 11–16.
13.
Konrad A , Deckop J (2001) Human resource management trends in the USA . International Journal of Manpower22 (3): 269–278 .
14.
Korac-Kakabadse N , Korac-Kakabadse A , Kouzmin A (1999) Dysfunctionality in “citizenship” behaviour in decentralized organisations: A research note . Journal of Managerial Psychology14 (7/8): 526–544 .
15.
Laurel B (1991) Virtual reality design: A personal view. In: Helsel SK , Roth JP , eds, Virtual Reality: Theory, Practice and Promise. Westport: Meckler Publishing .
16.
Lewis D , Waterhouse J , Szymczyk-Ellis J (2002) From bureaucracy to project management: A cultural leap . Journal of Contemporary Issues in Business and Government8 (1): 38–45 .
17.
Lynch TD , Lynch CE , White RD Jr (2000) Public virtual organisations . International Journal of Organisational Theory and Behaviour3 (3/4): 391–412 .
18.
Main Roads (1998) Annual Report 1997/98, Brisbane: Department of Main Roads, Brisbane: Queensland Government Printer .
19.
Main Roads (2000) Internal Correspondence. Queensland Government Printer
20.
Markus M , Manville B , Agres C (2000) What makes a virtual organisation work. Sloan Management Review Fall13–26.
21.
May C (2002) The political economy of proximity: Intellectual property and the global division of information labour . New Political Economy7 (3): 317–342 .
22.
Maykut P , Morehouse R (1994) Beginning Qualitative Research: A Philosophic and Practical Guide. London: Falmer Press .
23.
Moaty P , Mouhoud EM (1994) Information et organisation de la production: vers une division cognitive de travail . Economee Appliquee46 (1): 47–73 .
24.
Panteli N , Dibben M (2001) Revisiting the nature of virtual organisations: Reaections on mobile communication systems . Futures33, 379–391 .
25.
Patton M (1990) Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods. California: SAGE Publications .
26.
Picot A , Dietl HM , Franck E (1999) Organisation. Eine ökonomische Perspektive, 2nd edition. Wiesbaden: Gabler .
27.
Picot A , Reichwald R , Wigand RT (1998) Die grenzenlose Unternehmung, 3rd edition. Wiesbaden: Gabler .
28.
Provan KG , Millward HB (1995) A preliminary theory of interorganisational network effectiveness: A comparative study of four community mental health systems . Administrative Science Quarterly40: 1–33 .
29.
Royer S , Simons RH , Waldersee R (2003) Perceived reputation and alliance building in the public and private sector . International Public Management Journal6 (2): 199–218 .
30.
Rumelt RP , Schendel DE , Teece DJ (1991) Strategic management and economics . Strategic Management Journal12 (Winter Special Issue): 5–29 .
31.
Ryan N , Brown K , Flynn C (2000) Corporate Change in the Department of Main Roads. Report to the Department of Main Roads.
32.
Sekaran U (1992) Research Methods for Business: A Skill Building Approach, 2nd edition. Toronto: Wiley .
Teece DJ (1984) Economic analysis and strategic management . California Management Review26 (3): 87–119
35.
Waterhouse J , Brown K , Little M (2002) Organisational culture, strategic choice and the labour process: A model developed on Hegelian principles , Celebrating Excellence, Vol. 1, Refereed Papers. In: McAndrew I , Geare A . eds., Proceedings of the 16th AIRAANZ Conference, Queenstown, 6–8 February.
36.
Williamson OE (1991) Strategizing, economizing and economic organization . Strategic Management Journal12 (Winter Special Issue): 75–94 .
37.
Wilson F (1999) Cultural control within the virtual organisation . The Sociological Review47 (4): 672–696 .
