ABSTRACT
The impact of technology has been discussed throughout this text beginning with an analysis of the digital age (see chap. 1). Networks, the way we connect, “have reshaped our world over the past two centuries-railroads, highways, airports, oil and gas pipelines, TV broadcasting, the electric power grid, and, of course, global telecommunications.” “The IT [information technology] revolution was funded by the Pentagon, which sought to create a fast system of communication that the Russians could not access-the Internet” (Issak, 2005, p. 6). “What emerged in the late 20th century was the ‘virtual organization’: a collective learning network that can almost simultaneously produce and deliver products and services at any time, in any place, and in any variety in order to provide customer satisfaction” (Issak, 2005, p. 90). In many places, a new kind of workplace that is dispersed, flexible, and people-centered is emerging as a result of new communication technologies. “By mastering speed, the virtual corporation creates processes so functionally specific and user-friendly that they are irresistible. These organizations are fast, targeted, knock-quality. The future is your future, and made to order: You can see it, taste it, touch it, buy it” (Issak, 2005, p. 90). Companies are installing chief information officers (CIO) who ensure that organizations use information technology in ways that help its workforce develop the best competitive advantages (Gates, 1999). “The second-generation Internet technologies-combined with the Web itself and e-mail-are drastically reducing the cost of communicating, finding things, and distributing and receiving services online” (Lohr, 2006, p. E1). Globally, expertise can travel digitally so the experts do not have to. “Procter & Gamble uses online networks to get in touch with thousands of experts worldwide” (Hamm, 2006, p. 72). For example, a professor in Bologna, Italy, invented a method for printing edible images onto food, which P&G used to create Pringles potato chips with jokes and pictures printed on them. The digital collaboration boosted Pringles’ growth into the double digits whereas similar collaborations have helped P&G to produce 100 new products in the past 2 years (Hamm, 2006).
