Within the economic jungle of the early 21st century, one of the species most threatened with extinction is the large, long-in-the-tusk beast known as the multinational corporation. Beset by competition and dramatic changes in its global environment, the multinational is being forced to evolve – quite rapidly – into a different life form.

We at IBM call this the “globally integrated enterprise”. Unlike the multinational – which created mini-versions of itself in markets around the world – this new kind of organisation locates work, skills and operations wherever it makes sense, based on access to expertise, on superior economics and on the presence of open environments and technologies.