Leadership in Action: E-Leadership in the Networked Economy

E-Leadership in the Networked Economy

Mary Lynn Pulley, John McCarthy, and Sylvester Taylor

A cataclysmic shift, driven by a revolution in technology, is under way in the world of work. Organizations modeled on industrial-age assumptions of control, hierarchy, and clocklike regularity are being eclipsed by flat, networked organizations that change shape and direction faster than ever before. Both organizations and their leaders face a steep learning curve in trying to adapt to this groundswell of change.

To get a sense of how steep the learning curve is, consider the following projections from Forrester Research:

• Worldwide sales of goods and services over the Internet will top $6.8 trillion in 2004. Business-to-business sales will account for ...