Communications in the 21st century: Telecommunications and business policy

Communications technology will alter the structure and processes of many organizations substantially in the next 20 years. Managers will have to develop new skills in planning, control, and supervision. Business changes are discussed under 3 headings: 1. industrial markets, 2. organizational design, and 3. nature of work. The pace of change will be rapid as the ability to combine technology innovations increases. Organizations will be able to achieve centralization and decentralization simultaneously. Such commonplace terms like ''going to work'' and ''handling paperwork'' may become obsolete. Organizational managers must prepare themselves now for a period of complex, challenging change to avail themselves of the opportunities presented by modern telecommunication networks.