Postmodern Management and Information Technology in the Modern Industrial Corporation

This paper examines the concept of organizational emergence with respect to postmodern business organizations. We conclude that although there may be postmodern business enterprises in the United States, by and large they subcontract, not abolish, their modern work place relations. Information technology (IT) has been at the core of this process. Sophisticated information technologies have permitted the outsourcing of many business functions, such as production, marketing and service, once considered central to a firm’s activities. Subcontracting allows senior managers to concentrate on standardizing the work of the design and technical employees who work for the new “virtual” enterprises.