The `business as usual' syndrome no longer exists. Technology and globalization have accelerated the pace of change to an all-time high. What was state-of-the-art yesterday could well be replaced by something better and quicker the next year. In order for companies to keep pace and stay competitive in this rapidly changing business environment, it is imperative that business leaders change their style from the traditional hierarchical model (where everything flowed vertically down from the top) to a matrix model (where decisions and strategies are simultaneously implemented at every level throughout the organization).

The recession is showing signs of abating and it is imperative that business leaders and managers adopt a new mindset to prevent a recurrence of the problems that started the recession of 2008-09. The adage "what got us here, won't get us there" is not only true but good strategic advice. Business leaders and managers need to be willing to shift their ideas, their beliefs, and their processes from commanding to committing, in order to enable their organizational structures to stay competitive and thrive.

As the business world evolved through the industrial revolution and manufacturing processes dominated the development and production of products and services, it was easy to create very specific, measurable, and accountable leadership styles to fit the respective business model of supply and demand. As the world demands newer, faster and better products and services, having an economy based on predictable and measurable manufacturing was yesterday; today technology is changing how we operate our companies and is driving the pace of change at a record breaking speed. This century is being defined by technology with advancements so rapidly created and implemented that some technologies will be considered outdated in less than a year. With this dizzying pace of change, company leaders are going to have to shift everything they have thought about business and their organization into a new operating model and they are going to have to shift fast or risk falling too far behind to ever catch up.

Global CEO Magazine, Business Environment, Organizational Structure, Industrial Revolution, Technological Environment, Economic Slowdown, Technology Oriented Environment, Hierarchical Structure, Economic Recovery, Organizational Goal, Collaborative Style, Career Aspirations, Strategic Advice.