1. How can we understand where we've come from to know where we're going?

A look back at the history of company organization is useful to put the changes observed into perspective, as well as the possible advantages and conditions for success.

Four industrial eras can be distinguished:

• 1900 – 1940, with the predominance of a scientific organization of work and a strong specialization of tasks, a hierarchical structure generous in levels, important consumption needs favoring the development of companies;

• 1945 – 1975, the uninterrupted growth of the "thirty glorious years", with the apogee of organizations structured into directorates, departments and services, headed by managers each with precise responsibilities and authorities, and tasked with steering activities and managing people. At this stage, the main organizational tools were organization charts,...