Introduction

Abstract

Europe is in a transition from a low value manufacturing area into a “brainware region” producing high value added products and services. A key factor of success is the optimal usage of the most valuable resource in the information society, namely the human resources. Considering the need for specialisation along with the observable shortage of highly-qualified personnel, new forms of business organisations have been developed, migrating from a division oriented organisation to a task oriented organisation, bringing together the experts within an organisation in dynamically established teams. This trend is expected to continue and virtual organisations are evolving, in which expertise (and experts) are shared not only within a business organisation, but among the business organisations constituting the virtual enterprise. To efficiently support those types of business to business relations, support from information and communication technology is needed.