The Changing World

Change is the battlecry for today’s managers. Wherever you turn, peopleare advocating the birth of a new era - the knowledge era. We are assailedon all fronts with views of how the Internet’s rapid growth will, accordingto many, change every aspect of life. Companies are merging and acquiringto gain an advantage as globalisation of markets increases. And ascompanies grow ever larger and more powerful, governments seek greaterpower of regulation in the name of consumer protection. At the same time, governments around the world are merging their powers. In all this, onething that has always been true will continue to be true. The world that weface in the future will be different. It is therefore striking that with all thischange, most organisations are still built with stability in mind. They arebuilt on an assumption that tomorrow will be very much like today; thatwhat has worked in the past will continue to work in the future. Thiscomplacency lies behind the failure of many organisations. In a dynamicworld, organisations need to be dynamic - active partners of change, notjust pawns reacting to its turns and twists. This book will examine what Ibelieve is needed to build a successful organisation but I want to begin bylooking at some of the changes that are shaping the world we face