And only by creating effective networks to solve our collective problems can humanity avoid the inevitable alternative of authoritarian control. However, even now, distributed groups may be smarter and more effective than colocated groups, depending on the nature of the project. Any complex project, for example, benefits from good articulation of purpose and explicit planning. But we are looking ahead to when a distributed network is routinely more effective than a traditionally-organized work group. We see the possibility of much smarter groups as new forms of human networks integrate with the electronic world of technology networks.
Networks are the organizations of tomorrow at work today.
Networks are growing in scope, developing new patterns, and sprouting everywhere. In the broad cultural context, global networks are being stimulated and shaped as the sociological response to electronic and digital technology. They are the unique response to the driving forces of information, just as hierarchy developed in the Agricultural Era and bureaucracy matured in the Industrial Era. But we don't have to wait for tomorrow for smarter groups. Most people intuitively know that high group performance with tremendous personal satisfaction is possible.