Companies like Microsoft and Apple not only were pioneers in technology, but also in business management. Innovative concepts such as flexible work schedules and working from home paved the way for faster and more responsive organizations. As the world continues to get faster, business will be required to follow. This will lead to sweeping changes in business management in the future.
Many factors will determine the way businesses are managed in the future. This will be largely shaped by the culture both inside and outside of the organization. For instance, Exelon Power recently initiated a "work-life balance" program enabling employees to spend more time with their families. This is a remarkable shift in business strategy, considering that businesses generally do not concern themselves with their employee's life outside of the company. This change was initiated largely from social pressures existing internally and externally. Culture will also influence leadership styles. In the United States, where people have a great deal of individual freedom, autocratic leadership styles tend not to work for managers, but team-based organizations are thriving.
Technology and speed will continue to push managers to create new solutions for the problems that they create. A current trend in many companies is to develop flatter organizational structures with more decision making authority. These businesses tend to respond to customers" needs more quickly. As customers" patience continues to wane, tomorrow's managers will not be able to react to their needs, instead they must anticipate them. This will lead to more in depth market analyses and trending during the planning stages of business management. .
Another great influence on the future of management will be resources. Large and expansive organizations tend to be very slow and very costly. The current trend in business is to maximize every dollar spent.