In a zero space organization, knowledge is the only true currency and people are the only assets that matter. Through eight new organizational principles, Frank Lekanne Deprez and René Tissen illustrate how "zero-mindedness" is essential for the new economy. As organizations evolve into less tangible, less prescribed forms, our thinking must also evolve to become less departmentalized and closely guarded.

This new open-mindedness or "zero mind-set" targets knowledge so that an organization applies it when and where it is really needed. Deprez and Tissen-two top executives at the consulting firm KPMG Knowledge Advisory Services-show how to create a zero-space organization: a value-adding, quick-reacting, non-centralized, non-standardized, innovation-generating workplace for dedicated talent.

Auteur

Frank Lekanne Deprez is senior consultant at KPMG Knowledge Advisory Services and part-time associate professor at the Universities of Professional Education Zuyd, Heerlen, The Netherlands. He advises national and international organizations on operational and strategic knowledge management and business integration issues and on creating vibrant virtual communities. His passion is helping organizations target and apply knowledge when and where it is really needed. Before joining KPMG, Lekanne Deprez was a research associate at Tilburg University and held management and functional positions at Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM). From 1995 to 1997, he was manager of market and product development at Galileo Nederland, Ltd. He is coauthor of Value-Based Knowledge Management (1998) and The Knowledge Dividend (2000). René Tissen is managing director of KPMG Knowledge Advisory Services and professor of business management at the School of Business at Nyenrode University, The Netherlands. As an inter- national consultant and researcher, he specializes in advising companies on boardroom-level matters involving knowledge management, organization, and human resource management. Previously, he held a number of executive and senior management positions in Dutch industry and government, as well as positions abroad. René Tissen is coauthor of Value-Based Knowledge Management (1998), The Knowledge Dividend (2000), Weightless Wealth (2000), Telling IT Like IT Is (2002), and Seven Deadly Sins of Management (2002).