|
At the start of the twenty first century, a new world order has begun to emerge, replacing familiar patterns of power and
privilege that have existed for generations. Leaders have been replaced; centers of governance have been renamed; new patterns
for distributing wealth and influence have been created.
But what we are describing is not a political phenomenon caused by the demise of the Soviet Union, the construction of the
International Space Station, or the end of apartheid in South Africa. Rather, it is a social and economic revolution that
is manifest in a new order for organizations as they shift from rigid to permeable organizational structures and processes.
We call this shift the dawning of the boundaryless organization of the twenty-first century.
As Edited:
(Assignment: Compress and improve the appeal to a business audience):
A new world order is replacing generations-old patterns of power and privilege.
Leaders have been replaced, centers of governance have been renamed, new patterns for distributing wealth and influence have
been created. And we’re not talking about the demise of the Soviet Union, the construction of the International Space
Station, and the end of apartheid in South Africa.*
We’re talking about business. Twenty-first-century business is in the midst of a social and economic revolution, shifting
from rigid to permeable structures and processes and creating something new: the boundaryless organization.
*Query here read: [[AUTHOR: Is this opening acceptable? The new-century-starting motif has been used so much that it's
beginning to grow old before the century has reached preschool age; it doesn't need to be abandoned entirely, but the book
will wear better without using it to open the first chapter.]]
From Chapter One of The Boundaryless Organization, 2nd ed., by Ron Ashkenas, Dave Ulrich, Todd Jick,
and Steve Kerr (Jossey-Bass, 2002); quoted with permission.
|
