Methods and algorithms for creating and reconfiguring virtual organizations

Abstract

As organizations tend to specialize in ever narrower and more diverse activities, virtual organizations (VOs) have gradually become a topic of interest among researchers representing numerous fields, ranging from technical domains such as optimization and soft computing to work psychology and organization studies. Due to the ad-hoc, temporary nature of VOs, most of the research attention has been devoted to optimizing the selection of partners for the strategic alliance, and this concern still holds a significant share of the current research agenda in the VO literature. This chapter reviews the most prominent approaches to solving partner selection problems. We present and discuss some of the most documented methods and algorithms for VO creation and reconfiguration, as well as a number of example implementations in applied research. Gaps and future research directions are identified.