It’s a given that today’s companies must keep new products and services coming—and respond quickly to continually shifting customer demands. To maintain this competitive pace, managers need to improve the productivity of their knowledge professionals. But while many have expected new technologies like companywide computer networks to boost performance, the real promise lies elsewhere. Changing the ways professionals work, not installing new computers, is the best way to leverage this intellectual capital.
A version of this article appeared in the July–August 1993 issue of Harvard Business Review.
