ABSTRACT
Of late, managerial concepts such as span of control and optimal organizational models are being re-examined to become more relevant to managing increasingly digitalized workforces, where people work remotely and across geographic locations. This became accentuated during the COVID-19 pandemic that in many ways accelerated change that was already apace and confronted companies as well as individuals with trade-offs they had hoped to avoid. At the same time, concepts such as agility and creative destruction, combined with the readiness to pivot toward more agile and virtual practices, have been finding expression in various innovative “new ways of working” that increasingly rely on technology, virtual communication, and flexible work arrangements around increasingly knowledge-based tasks. These are moving organizations away from the notion of “command and control,” hierarchies, and formal employment contracts.
