izing work around tasks -- and accepting constant reorganization as a way of life was virtually created at Microsoft. High-tech companies have latched on to a new type of reorganization that usually isn't visible to the outside observer. The process is subtle because it is continual, a strategy of always shifting jobs to areas that have higher potential payoffs.Common practices that essentially evolved at high-tech companies have come to be fundamental in modern business practice. For example, the promotion of e-mail as a primary mechanism of communication has greatly accelerated the overall pace of work. An exceptional emphasis on the recruiting process has also been an important aspect of how the organizational design has evolved. At Microsoft, senior executives (vice presidents and above) are involved in recruiting entry-level programmers right out of college. Microsoft's emphasis goes back to the early days of the startup, when one or two people would write an entire program and the company’s fortunes depended on their skills. Microsoft is interested less in what prospective employees know than in how they think and how they attack problems (Deutschman and Moore 197). Another example has been the process of breaking the company into small teams at Microsoft has demonstrated that when it comes to projects that require lots of brainwaves, fewer people are better than more. As teams get larger and larger, employees must spend more of their time communicating what's already inside their heads and less actually applying that knowledge to accomplish their own part of the work. In addition, the attitude of Microsoft's ever-expanding research department has spread throughout the company. Research always encouraged its people to publish and participate fully in the free and open exchanges of academic conferences. As a result, Microsoft has come to see itself as part of an expansive, collaborative network of firms and individuals.Applyi...
