New business thinking and creative organizational forms are necessary to deal with those changes. The hierarchical business model developed early in the 20th century served well in a system based on factory-produced products made from raw materials for sale in stable, local markets. It will not suffice in the 21st century for delivering services based on information and ideas for rapidly changing, global markets. A factory door can be locked at night and the business assets protected, but a human mind cannot be. Indeed, the assets all walk out the door at night.
Several characteristics are likely to be important.
These, in turn, are bound together by integrity and by respect for others and their ideas. Finding and nurturing human talent is the key ingredient to long-term success. Companies must invest in training and professional development on an ongoing basis and provide rich opportunities for employees to learn through the experience of challenging assignments. Connections vs. connectedness. Hierarchies have been dismantled left and right during the last decade.