ABOUT BOOK

This course will illustrate the ways in which the practice of management evolves as firms grow in size. Historically, middle managers have served as so-called ŇgatekeepersÓ who collect, analyze, and pass information up and down the management chain within an organization. But two recent developments at the turn of the 21st century Đ namely, low-cost data manipulation in computers and the emergence of widespread, real-time communication (in the forms of inexpensive, long-distance global calling, email, text messaging, and social media) Đ have reduced the need for these middle-manager gatekeepers, and companies have eliminated thousands of such positions. The goal? To speed the flow of information and decision-making and reduce the number of layers that separate the customer from the leadership of an organization.