The coming of the new organization

Abstract

The typical large business 20 years henee will have fewer than hall the levéis of ma nagement of its countcrpart today and no more than a third the nianagcrs. ln its
structure, and in itsmanagement problems and con-
cerns, it will bear little resemblancc lo the typical manufacturing company, circa 1950, which our tex- books still consider the norm. Instead it is lar inore likely to resemble organizations thal neilher the practicing manager ñor the management acholar pays much attention to today: the hospital, the uni- versity, the symphony orchestra. For like them, the typical business will be knowledge-based, an orga­ nization composed largely of specialists who direct and discipline their own performance through oiga- nized feedback from colleagues, customers, and headquarters. For this reason, it will be what 1 cali an information-based organization.