Geoff Walsham
A 1994 article by A. Mowshowitz, entitled "Virtual organization: A vision of management in the information age," is critiqued. A key aspect of Mowshowitz' vision is that management should maintain a clear separation between abstract requirements and the concrete means for their satisfaction. Furthermore, he equates managing with decision-making, a view that, it is claimed, is deficient not only in its assumption of objectivity, but also in its reductionist approach. In addition, it is asserted that dehumanization is associated with the transition to a virtual organization. However, alternative views to this dehumanization exist, visions that encourage managers to bring the full range of moral and spiritual issues into the work place. According to such visions, the function of the business organization should be seen not only in terms of narrow economic goals, but more broadly as serving humanity in its fullest sense.