The Speed of Organization

Speed - of production, of information flow, of capital moving through deregulated financial and trading systems - is apparently ubiquitous, as indeed is its seemingly inexorable increase in the consequently ever shorter here and now that we inhabit. But with so much going on, and going on so quickly, how can it all - or can any of it - be attended to? This volume assembles a range of thoughtful contributors who have bent their minds to deploy a range of different perspectives to...
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Speed - of production, of information flow, of capital moving through deregulated financial and trading systems - is apparently ubiquitous, as indeed is its seemingly inexorable increase in the consequently ever shorter here and now that we inhabit. But with so much going on, and going on so quickly, how can it all - or can any of it - be attended to? This volume assembles a range of thoughtful contributors who have bent their minds to deploy a range of different perspectives to consider the current fascination with speed and its implications for organizing and organizations. Through writings ordered into three key themes - The Speed of Organizational Identity, The Speed of Organizational Technology, and The Speed of Organizational Imagery - the contributors invite the reader to take gulps of theoretical and reflective air, to hold in abeyance for a moment the breathless talk of a faster tomorrow, to pause to look at the hurdy gurdy. Fast food, dotcoms, hotdesking, and international travelers fly across the page, skillfully illuminated by insights drawn from theorists past and present. The speed of organization will certainly be more vivid after having read this book.