EconAir

William Gibson: Neuromancer (I wrote this in 2008 as a memo in response to an adult student’s question about what I thought of the book Fifth Discipline.  While still somewhat unrealistic - organizations are still run by managers who lack the self-confidence to ask others for advice and ideas - I think the current trends of quicker reaction to change, recognition of "high value-added employees," and more sophisticated IT software are moving organizations in this direction. At least the good ones.) I'm glad you read Fifth Discipline , even though it's rather dense.   Many of the ideas in the book are now the starting points for a lot of writing on management.   I believe that the best way for organizations to achieve superior performance and survive in the long run is to be adaptive, to be a "learning organization."   This means that everyone in the organization is encouraged (and rewarded) to come up with new ideas and methods. ...