Post-Industrial Metaphors: Understanding Corporate Restructuring and the Economic Environment of the 1990s
The most used and abused word of the 1990s is "change." Indeed, in the 1992 election, Americans voted for "change." Bill Clinton's challenge to Americans to have the "courage to change" echoes the refrain of corporate America throughout the 1980s. During this period, managers were advised to have the "courage to change," and many did. They spearheaded the process of restructuring, which included mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, plant closings, the relocation of production offshore, downsizing, and extensive reorganization of the workplace. Americans are being urged to change because the world is changing. We are experiencing the convergence of three revolutionary forces. First, global market conditions have changed irrevocably. Second, computer technology is continuing to change the way Americans work. Third, managerial practices are changing to reflect today's market