MIT Sloan Management Review Article on Reinventing the Organization for GenAI and LLMs

Consider this an early eulogy for the traditional organizational structure, which began in 1855 with the first modern organizational chart and thrived, more or less successfully, until the 2020s, when it succumbed to a new technology, the large language model (LLM).

This is, of course, a bold claim. While traditional approaches to organizing have been frequently threatened by technological advancements (anyone remember the brief craze for holacracy?), organizations have proven remarkably durable. In fact, each new wave of technology ushered in innovations that strengthened traditional organizations. Henry Ford took advantage of advances in mechanical clocks and standardized parts to introduce assembly lines and more precise ways of dividing work. In 2001, agile development took advantage of new ways of working with software and communicating via the internet to revamp how organizations develop products. Technology breakthroughs and organizations have long been partners.

About the Author

Ethan Mollick is a Ralph J. Roberts Distinguished Faculty Scholar and an associate professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, specializing in entrepreneurship and innovation. His new book, Co-Intelligence: Living and Working With AI, publishes April 2, from Penguin Random House’s Portfolio.

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