Author/Authors :
Hassanzadeh, Mohammad Management and Economics Faculty - Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract :
The term “virtual” has been associated with real-world businesses
and entities in recent years. Until a few years ago, the notion of
“virtual” encompassed spaces such as websites, information networks,
digital libraries, etc. But today, most of the citizens' time is spent in
completely virtual spaces. Stores, businesses, monetary and financial
activities, leisure and entertainment, etc. are all being transferred to
cyberspace. The rapid pace of joining cyberspace has created a state of
disharmony and exhaustion among businesses, especially large
organizations. Many of them have embarked on digital transformation
and implemented some programs, however, this process does not
seem to be sufficiently tailored to meet the requirements, and
organizations are to see “virtual transformation” as a complementary action and umbrella plan to cover sparse actions on their agenda. In
this article, the concept of virtual transformation and its requirements
and phases are briefly explained. Attempts have been made to look
into the virtual transformation from different dimensions and to
identify and introduce its key actors as well. The six steps presented in
this article are deemed to provide useful insights for managers on their
virtual transformation journey. The content of the article also can be
seen as a starting point for extensive studies on the concept of virtual
transformation.