Much of this change was enabled by technology. Whether in the form of E-mail, voice mail or relational databases, technology made it possible to create flatter, leaner organizations without intolerable impact on products and services. IT essentially allowed companies to replace people with networks and machines, often at considerable net savings. Asian companies know they lag far behind their U.S. rivals in their use of technology. It has been only in the past few years that E-mail has caught on.
Voice mail is still a rarity.
Perhaps that is fair enough. On the other hand, perhaps radically shifting labor patterns are simply an inherent part of any great technological revolution. Today, Asians are being warned that U.S.-style change is inevitable. They are being told their lifelong employment systems, long viewed as a strength, are now a source of weakness. And they are being asked to accept this fundamental change in just a few weeks' time.