Towards a knowledge age

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Sometimes it's important to remind ourselves that Web 2.0 is indeed just an expression of a deeper paradigm shift that is happening: the transition from a modern to a post-modern society or - in business terms - from the industrial economy to the knowledge economy. With regard to organizational development, this shift is characterized by the transition
  • from authoritative decisions to team work
  • from hirarchies to flat organizational structures
  • from an infrastructure focus to a focus on people
  • from a chain of command to a culture which gives space to creativity & innovation
  • from tightly controlled to widespread information
  • from one lifetime job to multiple careers (with a loss of job security)
  • from specialized skills to multi-tasking
  • from external inscentives to intrinsic motivation
    (Kotler 2002)
The web becomes the symbol of this change from centralized institutions to social networks. Web 2.0 is just the (IT-wise not very complicated) technological expression of this change. While we are thrilled by all the tools which are out there, we should regularly step back and look at the whole picture. Which will leave us even more thrilled by the wave of societal change that is rolling over us and that will impact the way we will live and work the upcoming years and even decades.

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