1995 Volume 4 Issue 2 Pages 5-19
Despite Drucker's assertion that the development in information technology will necessitate a completely new set of principles to manage knowlege-based or information-based organizations, there seems at present a paucity in empirical researches into the existing such organizations, of which examples include symphony orchestras, universities and hospitals. To enrich the repository of theories and evidences on knowlege-based or information-based organizations, which should constitute a basis of social infrastructure in the information age, the article investigates the organization and its processes of symphony orchestra, mainly through interviews with a conductor and players at various positions and parts in two symphony orchestras. It is found that the symphony orchestra has a dual structure of hierarchical-and-flat organization, and that the difference between the symphony orchestra and the traditional model of Japanese organization lies not in simplistic dichotomies such as a hierarchical-vs-flat structure, but more in detailed workings and know-hows of the management of organization. Also found is the significant difference from general descriptions of knowlege-based or information-based organizations which are presently of speculative nature. Discussion on the status of the research on knowlege-based or information-based organizations, along with a future research programme on the topic, concludes the article.
