Location
Holiday Inn, Manatee Room D
Start Date
29-4-1997 2:00 PM
Description
The workplace is undergoing change at an accelerating rate. One of the most far-reaching changes is the evolution of the organization into a form fundamentally different from that which dominated industry during the 1950’s and 1960’s. The corporate hierarchy, once stable and slow moving, with the “thinkers” at the top of the pyramid and the “do-ers” at the base, is poorly suited to the fast-moving, competitive environment of today. Instead, corporations are opting for a flat, flexible organization, characterized by decentralized decision making. Organizations are struggling to compete and, in the process, putting a premium on speed and efficiency. Whereas the model for the traditional organization was the army, with its rigid cohesive structure and clear chains of command, the new organization often structures itself as a loosely knit confederation of entrepreneurial units and relies on teams to create value and profit. Compared to the corporate hierarchy of past decades, the entrepreneurial organization is distinguished by more ambiguity, fewer boundaries, and more rapid communication between the company and its employees, suppliers, and customers.
Paper Session I-D - The New Model for Education and Training
Holiday Inn, Manatee Room D
The workplace is undergoing change at an accelerating rate. One of the most far-reaching changes is the evolution of the organization into a form fundamentally different from that which dominated industry during the 1950’s and 1960’s. The corporate hierarchy, once stable and slow moving, with the “thinkers” at the top of the pyramid and the “do-ers” at the base, is poorly suited to the fast-moving, competitive environment of today. Instead, corporations are opting for a flat, flexible organization, characterized by decentralized decision making. Organizations are struggling to compete and, in the process, putting a premium on speed and efficiency. Whereas the model for the traditional organization was the army, with its rigid cohesive structure and clear chains of command, the new organization often structures itself as a loosely knit confederation of entrepreneurial units and relies on teams to create value and profit. Compared to the corporate hierarchy of past decades, the entrepreneurial organization is distinguished by more ambiguity, fewer boundaries, and more rapid communication between the company and its employees, suppliers, and customers.
