Abstract
Weizenbaum (1977) wrote: "Tools shape man's imaginative reconstruction of reality". That has always been so. The creations of the visual and performing arts follow not only from the tools, but also from the concepts of technology. The defining technologies of the 20th century were mechanical; everyday conversation, news reports and talk shows use mechanical metaphors, such as to "push the gas pedal", to "overhaul", to "mesh with" and so on. The defining technology of this decade is communication technology. Management systems of the 20th century focused on making the company seen as a machine, efficient. Management systems of this and the next decade focus on the company as part of a communicating network. Economic and management structures follow not only from requirements of lowered costs, faster work and higher quality, but more deeply from the images and concepts which we all absorb unconsciously from the environment, and which are changing from the images of mechanical machines to the images of a globally-connected fluid network of interacting nodes. The network provides much more than a tool for enhanced business practice; it provides a conceptual framework that changes perceptions of organizations and of business strategy and operation.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Smart Business Networks |
Publisher | Springer Berlin Heidelberg |
Pages | 91-103 |
Number of pages | 13 |
ISBN (Print) | 3540228403, 9783540228400 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Dec 2005 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Economics, Econometrics and Finance
- General Business, Management and Accounting