Four Ages of Organization

= from Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps’s book on the rise of virtual teams

Graphic at http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u1GIE0NHH8g/ShNszKTLfQI/AAAAAAAAACU/8RIA8b0L6Zg/s400/lipnack.jpg

Commentary

David Ronfeldt:

"In this Toffleresque table (p. 36), management strategists Lipnack and Stamps highlight what they regard as the four ages of organization, beginning millennia ago. The first age is about small groups, but in the text these are equated with nomads and tribes — terms I prefer. The authors explain their distinction between hierarchy and bureaucracy, but I question its significance. Moreover, why markets are not featured as a form of organization remains a mystery to me — but it has something to do, I suppose, with their emphasis on the internal workings of organizations. In any case, the table barely does justice to their ideas. They were early, articulate pioneers in spotting that an “age of networks” was dawning, and in analyzing the rise of “virtual teams.” And I like their point (p. 46) that “The postindustrial model is inclusive of old models, not a replacement for them.” (http://twotheories.blogspot.com/2009/05/organizational-forms-compared-my.html)

Source: http://www.netage.com/pub/books/VirtualTeams%202/CHAPTERS%20PDF/chapter02.pdf