The Infinite Resource: Creating and Leading the Knowledge Enterprise

Harness the Boundless Power of Knowledge Take a fascinating glimpse into the not-too-distant future. In The Infinite Resource, seventeen visionary thinkers explore knowledge--the only inexhaustible source of competitive advantage--as the juggernaut of an remarkable new order whose advent is fast rAndering today's business conventions obsolete. Their incisive observations include up-to-the-minute examinations of knowledge-change initiatives currently under way at Bell Atlantic, MCI, Lufthansa, and other forward-thinking companies. Filled with fresh ideas, perspectives, and voices, it's a state-of-the-art appraisal of emerging organizational forms vital to anyone grappling with the challenges and possibilities posed by the Information Age.

Table of Contents:
Introduction. The Economic Imperatives of Knowledge: New Organizations for a New Era. CREATING THE INTERNAL ENTERPRISE SYSTEM. A Small Government Solution to Big City Problems. Transforming Organizations into Market Economies. Reintroducing Alcoa to Economic Reality. Market-Based Management at Koch Industries. Lufthansa Soars on Internal Markets. FORMING A NETWORK OF COOPERATIVE ALLIANCES. Knowledge Companies. The Spherical Network organization. The Age of the Network. Novell's Ten- Thousand- Piece Puzzle. Managing the Virtual Organization. LEVERAGING KNOWLEDGETH AN INTELLIGENT INFRASTRUCTURE. Our Vision of the Information Superhighway. Taking a Byte Out of Bureaucracy. Welcome to the Revolution. The Intelligent Organization. An Advertising Agency Without Walls. Riding the Information Tiger.

About the Author :
WILLIAM E. HALAL is professor of management at George Washington University. A respected management scholar, consultant, and author of three previous books, including The New Management (1996), he lives in Washington, D.C.

Review :
"William Halal has brought together the A-Team of information technology to enlighten us all on the nature and possibilities of the new world we are careening into." (Richard D. Lamm, former governor of Colorado and director, Center for Public Policy and Contemporary Issues, University of Denver) "The Infinite Resource shows that the essential tools for future success are already within the reach of every organization. Halal and his contributors make a compelling case for leveraging knowledge by engaging everyone in the sharing of this vital asset. In today's global economy, enterprises that fail to draw on this ready resource will be overtaken by their competition." (Norman R. Augustine, chairman, Lockheed Martin Corporation) "Halal and his colleagues have produced a brilliant and important book. For all of us who want to understand the implications for leadership and managing change in today's hyper-spastic turbulence of the cyberspace age, this book is required reading." (Warren Bennis, distinguished professor of business, University of Southern California) "Provides life-sized, real-world examples of the issues faced by public and private organizations trying to make sense of today's turbulent environment. Halal has more than assembled leading-edge thinkers and practitioners; he has given them a forum in which to tell their own stories in their own words." (Laurence Prusak, managing principal and worldwide knowledge management competency leader, IBM Consulting) "My candidate for best business book of the year. A groundbreaking work, a treasure house of insights into the Information Revolution that is transforming business, government, and human life. Halal has assembled top experts to not only guide our understanding, but to provide practical advice on how to benefit from the extraordinary opportunities this infinite resource is creating." (Edward Cornish, president, World Future Society, and editor, The Futurist)