Modeling organizational virtualness in the airline industry an empirical investigation

In an era of rapid technological innovation, conducting business is no longer solely reliant upon traditional boundaries and conventional communication patterns. Organizations may make use of ICT, collaborative ventures, and digitized business environments. Consequently, researchers and practitioners are increasingly concerned with understanding what characteristics are necessary to succeed as a virtual organization. In contributing to the understanding of these contemporary aspects of modern business, this study employs an existing but untested model, and extends it by including the concept of trust. The resulting model was empirically examined using responses from 202 staff members at a leading international airline who routinely come into contact with the technology-dependent elements of the organization. Results of the data analysis generally support the structure of the model. However, it is acknowledged that the results obtained may be specific to the industry in which the study took place, and therefore additional investigation in alternative settings is required.