Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Social Uncertainty in Virtual Organizations: A Preliminary Ontology of the Constituent Elements

  • Chapter
Becoming Virtual

Part of the book series: Contributions to Management Science ((MANAGEMENT SC.))

  • 673 Accesses

Abstract

In this chapter, we inductively develop a theory of the constituent elements of social uncertainty, based on the results of investigating Unit 2. We posit that social uncertainty is a sociological construct describing the interpersonal, social space which contains shared meanings and which enables the actions of others to be anticipated and understood. Theory formation is driven by the tenet that social uncertainty leads to withdrawal or avoidance behavior which has a deleterious effect upon knowledge creation and sharing. The theory predicts that, with the organization as the level of analysis, social uncertainty is constituted by four conceptual elements: concurrence, coherence, cognition and conformance. The theory is expressed in formal, symbolic notation to aid its experimental verification. The results from the research project provide face validity of the theory.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Ashby WR (1956) An introduction to cybernetics. Chapman & Hall, 1956

    Google Scholar 

  2. Barabasi a-L (2003) Linked: how everything is connected to everything else and what it means for business, science, and everyday life. Plume, London

    Google Scholar 

  3. Beck U (1992) Risk society: towards a new modernity. Sage, London

    Google Scholar 

  4. Berreby D (2005) Us and them: understanding your tribal mind. Little, Brown & Company, New York

    Google Scholar 

  5. Boisot M (1998) Knowledge assets: securing competitive advantage in the information economy. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  6. Clampitt PG, Williams ML (undated) Managing organizational uncertainty: conceptualization and measurement. Retrieved 7 June 2007 from http://www.imetacomm.com/otherpubs/research/manorguncertain.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  7. Devlin K (2001) Infosense: turning information into knowledge. Freeman, New York

    Google Scholar 

  8. Galbraith J (1973) Designing complex organizations. Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA

    Google Scholar 

  9. Giddens A (1991) Modernity and self-identity. Polity Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  10. Giddens A (1999) Runaway world: how globalisation is reshaping our lives. Profile, London

    Google Scholar 

  11. Goffman E (1990) The presentation of self in everyday life. Anchor, New York

    Google Scholar 

  12. Hatch MJ, Schultz M (2004) Organizational identity. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  13. Hedberg B, Dahlgren G, Hansson J, Olve N-G (2000) Virtual organizations and beyond: discovering imaginary systems. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester

    Google Scholar 

  14. Hogg MA, Terry DJ (2001) Social identity processes in organizational contexts. Psychology Press, Philadelphia

    Google Scholar 

  15. Klein HK, Myers MD (1999) A set of principles for conducting and evaluating interpretive field studies in information systems. MIS Quarterly 23:67–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Kramer RM, Cook KS (eds) (2004) Trust and distrust in organizations: dilemmas and approaches. Russell Sage Foundation, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  17. Kuhn M, McPartland T (1954) An empirical investigation of self-attitudes. American Sociological Review 1954, 1968–1976

    Google Scholar 

  18. Leary MR, Tangney JP (eds) (2003) Handbook of self and identity. The Guilford Press, London

    Google Scholar 

  19. Lewin K (1997) Field theory in social science. American Psychological Association, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  20. Luhmann N (1979) Trust and power. John Wiley & Sons, New York

    Google Scholar 

  21. Merry U (1995) Coping with uncertainty: insights from the new sciences of chaos, self-organization and complexity. Greenwood Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  22. Naisbitt J (1984) Megatrends: ten new directions transforming our lives. Warner Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  23. Negroponte N (1995) Being digital. Vintage, New York

    Google Scholar 

  24. Peters, T (1993, 29 March) [Interview]. Forbes ASAP

    Google Scholar 

  25. Scott WR (1998) Organizations: rational, natural and open systems. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

    Google Scholar 

  26. Scott WR, Christensen S (1995) The institutional construction of organizations: international and longitudinal studies. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA

    Google Scholar 

  27. Sedikides C, Brewer MB (2002) Individual self, relational self, collective self. Psychology Press, Philadelphia

    Google Scholar 

  28. Sennett R (1998) The corrosion of character: the personal consequences of work in the new capitalism. Norton, New York

    Google Scholar 

  29. Stacey RD (2002) Strategic management and organisational dynamics: the challenge of complexity. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

    Google Scholar 

  30. Toffler A (1980) The third wave. William Morrow, New York

    Google Scholar 

  31. Wassermann S, Faust K (1994) Social network analysis: methods and applications. Cambridge University Press, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  32. Weick KE (1979) The social psychology of organizing. Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA

    Google Scholar 

  33. Whetten A, Godfrey, PC (1998) Identity in organizations: building theory through conversations. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA

    Google Scholar 

  34. Zand DE (1972) Trust and managerial problem solving. Administrative Science Quarterly 17:229–239

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University College Copenhagen and MetaManagement, Hultmannsvej 5A, 2900, Hellerup, Denmark

    Dr. Ivan Jensen

  2. School of Management, Edith Cowan University, 100 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, 6026, Western, Australia

    Dr. Paul Jackson

Authors
  1. Dr. Ivan Jensen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dr. Paul Jackson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. UWA Business School, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    Jane E. Klobas

  2. Carlo F. Dondena Centre for Research in Social Dynamics, Università Bocconi, Via Sarfatti 25, 20136, Milano, Italy

    Jane E. Klobas

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2008 Physica-Verlag Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Jensen, I., Jackson, P. (2008). Social Uncertainty in Virtual Organizations: A Preliminary Ontology of the Constituent Elements. In: Klobas, J.E. (eds) Becoming Virtual. Contributions to Management Science. Physica-Verlag HD. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7908-1958-8_5

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation