The Fourth Wave: Business in the 21st CenturyApplying the concept of historical waves originally propounded by Alvin Toffler in The Third Wave, Herman Maynard and Susan Mehrtens look toward the next century and foresee a ""Fourth Wave, "" an era of integration and responsibility far beyond Toffler's revolutionary description of Third Wave postindustrial society. Whether we attain this stage of global well-being, however, will depend on how well our business institutions are able to adapt and change. The Fourth Wave examines the ways business has changed in the Second and Third Waves and describes ways it must continue to change in the Fourth. The changes concern the basics - how an institution is organized, how it defines wealth, how it relates to surrounding communities, how it responds to environmental needs, and how it takes part in the political process. The authors also demonstrate the need for a new kind of leadership - managers and CEOs who embrace an attitude of global stewardship; who define their assets as ideas, information, creativity, and vision; and who strive for seamless boundaries between work and private lives for all employees. |
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The Fourth Wave: Business in the 21st Century Herman Bryant Maynard,Susan E. Mehrtens Limited preview - 1996 |
Common terms and phrases
activity addiction Alvin Toffler Anticipatory Democracy appropriate technology assets awareness become biopolitical business leaders businesspersons CEOs challenge CIP Item codependency competition competitive exclusion principle contemporary corporate leaders creating value creativity culture customers deep ecologists democratic diversity Du Pont Earth ecology economic ecosystems employees environment environmental ethical focus foster Fourth Wave corporation future global growing Harman Herman Daly hierarchy human Increasing numbers increasingly individual integration internal intuition John Sculley leadership learning living economy living systems manifest matrix Mehrtens move natural ownership perspective political pollution problems reality recognized recycling resource accounting responsibility role scientism Second Wave corporation serve shift in consciousness society stakeholders stewardship structural violence Sunrise Seven sustainability team-value model team-value organization technology assessment thinking Third Wave corporation tion trends truth unconscious unconscious mind vision Wave business well-being Willis Harman workplace Workplace Democracy worldview York