Connectivity

The processes of globalisation, and the emergence of the knowledge economy, have been greatly facilitated by, and in their turn provided a powerful driver for growth in connectivity.

A substantial and continuing part of this connectivity is and will continue to be, based on direct human interaction. Hence the importance of rapid and efficient transport. But the great increase in connectivity has occurred through electronic interaction, via email and the Internet.

Much was promised of e-commerce at the turn of the century, and it continues to grow. But the notion that all the fundamentals of good management and decision making would be swept away in a digital age has proven to be very short-sighted.

But this has not diminished the importance of connectivity, rather the challenges facing 21st Century organisations are:

• How to increase the productivity of connectivity, through improved performance and reduced cost.
• How do identify or design qualitative advances through new application of connectivity.
• How to use connectivity to establish reliable knowledge networks and reduce information overload.