A conceptual model for virtual organizational learning

Abstract

As a trend toward virtual organizations (VOs) emerges in the era of electronic commerce, an understanding of knowledge processing is essential to sustain performance. Active learning is the key to achieving flexibility in a VO; however, few studies have focused on this dimension. In this article we attempt to assemble insights about learning in a VO by developing a conceptual model for virtual organizational learning (VOL). The VOL model is focused on transactive memory, which is composed of knowledge maps, social networks, and mnemonic functions. The initialization of modeling learning in VOs in this article has been erecting the foundation for transactive memory systems in a cyber community. A case study, Smart Creative Teachers Network, is used for demonstrating the transactive memory system for a teacher community to share and create knowledge and form VOs across school boundaries.