The Future for Business (Richard Scase)

"With human capital as their core asset, companies are being forced to reinvent their management cultures and their operating practices. Knowledge workers, in whatever corporate function, refuse to be 'told what to do'. They expect to be motivated through corporate leadership, strategic vision and performance related reward systems."

"The future corporate challenge will be to design new models of organisation. These will be ones that leverage the creative capabilities of knowledge employees for the development of innovative products and services necessary for competitive advantage. In an ever-changing business environment, companies have to innovate continuously to stave off takeover and other competitive threats. Leveraging creativity will be the central corporate challenge. This is even more important than the application of internet technologies if companies are to survive. The Internet will, of course, play a key role in the future corporation but without the full utilisation of creative human assets, the potential will not be fully realised."

"For knowledge workers to be creative, it is necessary to give them autonomy in the performance of their work tasks It means they need to be free from tight hands-on management supervision. They have to be trusted to get on with their jobs through remote, flexible and other preferred working practices. The capabilities of the internet allow for on-line working; but its application is hindered by the suspicion of management. They (management) continue to subscribe to a view that unless employees 'clock in' they are not to be trusted. Creative employees work best if they are left alone. But their efforts need to be 'ring fenced' and performance-rewarded if their potential is to be realised for the good of corporate goals."

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Editor’s Note: These are brief extracts from a challenging article by Prof. Richard Scase. The complete article at can be found at:  http://www.richardscase.com/articles?art=6.