Inter-Organization Partnership and Collaborative Work Tools

Abstract

When virtual organizations collaborate, many barriers exist that have the potential to block the integration and efficiencies of the partnership. Barriers can stem from the organizations having different cultural values or technical infrastructures. Analyzing two collaborating virtual organizations provides insight into success factors, lessons learned, management implications, and the role of collaborative work tools. This analysis focused on the critical success factors of the partnership and lessons learned after the implementation as well as how the role of management changed as a result of this inter-organizational partnership. The case was based on first hand observation of the author who had a role as a project manager who oversaw an inter-organizational project partnership between a high-tech company located in the United States and an offshore company located in India.