The Connected Company – Shifting from Industrialization to Connection

It’s not often that you stumble upon a business book that’s both valuable and enjoyable to read. The Connected Company by Dave Gray happens to be both.

Sprinkled with hand drawn illustrations and written in a scan-able style, The Connected Company focuses on how company structure and culture require constant adaptation to remain viable in today’s service-based economy.

The Connected Company – An ultra-quick synopsis.

Gray begins by educating you about the shift from a manufacturing, product-based economy, to a delivery-focused service-oriented economy.

This change has come about due to many factors, but what’s important to note is that most companies are not structured to be able to change with the times and the needs of the current (and future) marketplace.

After a quick history lesson, Gray paints a picture of a new sort of company – a networked, adaptive, podular organism – the connected company.

Trust me, you need to read it.

Instead of writing more, I’d like to simply recommend that you read the book in its entirety. It’s fast paced and bursting with insights.

Check out this chapter excerpt focusing on customer feedback within a connected economy.

Also, read the ChangeThis manifesto – The Connected Company: How Distributed Organism Businesses are Rising Against the Machine to Build a More Connected World.

Stay tuned - I will be writing more about the concepts from this book in follow-up posts.