Research Commentary—The Design, Use, and Consequences of Virtual Processes

Process virtualization occurs when a process that relies upon physical interaction between people and/or objects is transitioned to a virtual environment. Process virtualization is having profound effects on society, as an increasing number of both business and nonbusiness processes such as those related to education, medicine, and dating are being migrated to virtual environments. There is a vast literature that relates to process virtualization topics, but it is fragmented across different domains. The purpose of this paper is to propose a research agenda to develop high-level theories and frameworks that inform the general process virtualization phenomenon. Developing these theories and frameworks will synthesize existing knowledge and provide a theoretical foundation upon which to add new knowledge as it is created. This will help policy makers maximize the substantial benefits of virtual processes while minimizing the risks. Given the background, interests, and skills of IS scholars, the IS discipline is well suited to lead in this endeavor.