Leading for Innovation: And Organizing for Results

19.2. The Demise of the Old Economy

There is little doubt that once again we are living through a storm of creative destruction.

Twenty years ago, the talk was about the postindustrial society. The words postindustrial society seemed to suggest that makers of things would not find a place in that society. Future prosperity would be found in the production of services rather than material goods. Interestingly, by the mid-1980s, the original worry had disappeared from the press headlines. There was still a concern that the world around business was turbulent, but the theme was different. The headlines changed from "postindustrial" to "We are moving into the Information Age" or the "Knowledge Society" and lately into the "New Economy."

Any distracted, ...