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Organizations have structure and as the Industrial Age evolved into the Information Age, the hierarchical structure evolved as well. In earlier eras where information was scarce and access to information was power, organizations structured themselves along chains of power and authority, with those higher in the organization having more knowledge and therefore more power. As the Information Age unfolded in recent years, this fundamental construct of access to knowledge has been disrupted, giving rise to a new power structure. In 1999, Jon Husband coined this new structure a "wirearchy," defining it as "a dynamic flow of power and authority, based on information, trust, credibility, and a focus on results, enabled by interconnected technology and people".〔 Hugh MacLeod illustrated the basic concept of wirearchy showing lines of linkage emanating out of the hierarchical triangle.〔MacLeod, Hugh (2006) "(Wirearchy )" graphic.〕 Power structures related to knowledge and information date back to early tribal systems, in which the tribal head was noted as the holder and keeper of knowledge. As tribes evolved into cities and countries, the power evolved as well, into the classic hierarchical pyramid. Medieval churches and feudal kingdoms continued this arrangement of scarce knowledge and control of information at the top. Even with the arrival of the Gutenberg printing press and the associated much easier, more rapid, and less expensive creation and production of knowledge, the spread of knowledge occurred relatively slowly over the next centuries, allowing the hierarchical structure to continue to thrive. The flow of knowledge began to radically accelerate two decades ago with the emergence of the Internet. Members of many organizations began to connect and share with others through hyperlinks, social media and easy self-publishing tools and platforms. The availability of tools for connections and sharing led to increased social interaction around knowledge. Social interaction consists primarily of information, opinion, and beliefs, and it is on the basis of social interactions that trust is built.〔Husband, J. (2014) "(Knowledge, Trust, Credibility and a Focus on Results )".〕 Traditional hierarchies assumed that leaders higher in the hierarchy had better information for making decisions, and that it was in the followers' interest to allow them to make the decisions. The web and the ability of organizational members to connect with anyone both inside and outside the organization – and find information both inside and outside the organization – have disrupted the traditional notions of power. Wirearchy provides a new organizing principle to describe how networked people, technology and information interact in modern organizations. It illustrates a democratization of information and power sharing, from formerly top-down to more lateral, bottom-up, two-way or multiple-path flows of interconnected people. Power and authority are based less on hierarchical position and more on knowledge sharing, trust, credibility, and end results. The connections afforded by the web have increased the ability of individuals at all levels of organizations to now provide value. In Friedman's book, ''The World is Flat'', he noted that the web allowed individuals to be global players, in much the same way that company structures of the 1800s and political structures of the Renaissance allowed.〔Friedman, T. (2005) ''The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century'', Farrar, Straus and Giroux.〕 Wirearchy as a design principle illustrated that flows of information in networked organizations occur differently from flows in traditional hierarchical structures. Knowledge in a networked context flows more horizontally, sideways and based on connections and collaborations, rather than in official flows of knowledge up and down in formally structured hierarchies. Thus, within a wirearchy model, problems can be solved by reaching out to distributed sources of knowledge within personal networks. What involved formal meetings and memorandums in the past is now solved with a tweet, blog post or web conference. In the past decade, the web has increasingly become more open, social and participatory. Project work, analysis and planning, research and development, and other knowledge-intensive work has shifted from formal face-to-face settings to an array of web based wikis, blogs, RSS feeds, and social networking. This is an area where David Weinberger's phrase from the ''Cluetrain Manifesto '' — "hyperlinks subvert hierarchy" — becomes increasingly relevant.〔Levine, R., Locke, C., Searls, D., and Weinberger, D. (2000) ''The Cluetrain Manifesto'', Basic Books.〕 Weinberger's additional concept of first-, second-, and third-order organization of emergent knowledge (outlined in his ''Everything Is Miscellaneous''), combined with hyperlinks and spaces designed for interaction, now allow for socially-networked work groups to co-create knowledge with an ease not possible in the traditional hierarchy.〔Weinberger, D. (2007) ''Everything is Miscellaneous'', http://www.everythingismiscellaneous.com/〕 Co-creating offers a new way for employees to create things and services. The growth and spread of the term "co-creating" has led to significant interest in more open people processes, both in workplaces as well as other forms of organizations. The growth of MOOCs and maker fairs are examples of this new organizational model. There has been an historical evolution of various kinds of technology over the past three decades in the area of information technology and the creation and evolution of the Internet and the Web.〔See http://www.evolutionoftheweb.com/〕 The ability to 'co-create" brought on by the evolution of social tools, web services, massive storage, and the ongoing development of computer-and-smart-devices development has been from a historical perspective, amazingly fast. Sociologically, people continue to seek ways to find others with similar interests and motivations so that they can engage in activities that help them learn, find work, grow capabilities and skills, and tackle vexing social and economic problems.〔Shirky, C. (2008) ''Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organizations'', Penguin Books.〕 In "The Internet of People for a Post-Oil World", Rob van Kranenburg and Christian Nold posit that the rise of the Internet of Things coupled with distributed workers will disrupt the current business models for commercializing technologies and developing products.〔Van Kranenburg, R. (2008) The Internet of Things. A critique of ambient technology and the all-seeing network of RFID, Network Notebooks 02, Institute of Network Cultures, Amsterdam, 2007.〕 The lines between issues, people, and technology will continue to blur. In a web-enabled workplace, fundamentals that worked within a hierarchy are altering. In a Gartner press release, Tom Austin noted.〔Gartner, Inc. (2010) "(Gartner Says the World of Work Will Witness 10 Changes During the Next 10 Years )".〕 "Work will become less routine, characterized by increased volatility, hyperconnectedness, 'swarming' and more. By 2015, 40 percent or more of an organization's work will be 'non-routine', up from 25 percent in 2010. People will swarm more often and work solo less. They'll work with others with whom they have few links, and teams will include people outside the control of the organization," he added. "In addition, simulation, visualization and unification technologies, working across yottabytes of data per second, will demand an emphasis on new perceptual skills." Hughes also suggested that the very structure of work is being transformed from fixed hierarchy to a new fluidity that rapidly brings people together in systems intended to solve problems and meet the ever evolving needs of clients.〔Hughes, J. (2013) "(What Value Creation Will Look Lie in the Future )". ''Harvard Business Review''.〕 Husband contended that "wirearchy" is an empowering model that takes these changes into account, allowing a more meaningful form of networked collaboration and connectivity, founded on knowledge, dependence, credibility, and purpose. As such, it can supplement and enhance the outmoded style of hierarchy.〔Husband, Jon (2013). "(What is Wirearchy )".〕 The internet and its associated networks are changing the relationship between leaders, employees and organizations. The world is fast moving away from the "master-servant" archetype of the Industrial Age to a more open, social and collaborative relationship. Leaders now must consider the scope and reach of interconnected markets and flows of information. A wirearchy allows work to be more responsible, accountable and transparent. The nature of work can become more collaborative. ==References== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Wirearchy」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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