The Fractal Company

1. Survival in a Turbulent Environment.- 2. Manufacturing - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.- Changes through industrial revolutions.- The question of factory location.- Man and employment - aspects of sociology and ergonomics.- The division of labor - a feature of an efficient economy.- Why are successful businesses successful?.- Outlines of some approaches from the USA and Japan.- Cultural consequences are more serious than technical consequences.- 3. Organizational Design - a Key Component of Strategy.- More knowledge - less plannability.- Service in competition - we are all suppliers and customers.- Complexity and specialization.- Information as a production factor.- The factory of the future?.- Order and chaos - two complementary views of the world.- Structure formation through self-organization.- The world of fractals.- 4. The Fractal Factory - an Integrating Approach.- Definition.- The characteristic of self-similarity.- The characteristic of self-organization.- The characteristics of dynamics and vitality.- An old rule: simplify and maintain order.- Communication and information.- Goal-formation processes.- Navigation and control.- Management and the workforce.- Performance assessment and evaluation.- Working hours.- The way to the Fractal Factory - an exemplary case-study.- 5. A Glance into the Future.

The trendsetting book of the designated president of the German Fraunhofer-Society gives a short and concise answer to the Japanese concept of lean production and management. The special lay-outed "fast reader" is a must for middle and top management of companies; all of them confronted with a worldwide economical crisis.