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I have chosen to focus my web log on Manuel Castells’ concept that flexibility is an important feature of the networked society. Organisational structures and processes need to be flexible to cope with change (Flew 2002, p.68).

I have highlighted three organisations - The Glue Society, IKEA and HealthDirect Australia – which I believe reflect the hypothesis discussed in study topic five ‘that flexibility is the preferred organisational quality for the successful use of the new informational media’. I have discussed The Glue Society and IKEA in more detail however I felt that HealthDirect Australia was a unique example of a public health service which is also adapting in the new ‘information age’.

The Glue Society provides a unique and flexible alternative to the traditional advertising agency. It is a creative collective of freelance art directors, designers, writers and film directors. Home furnishing store IKEA is an example of a ‘flat and boundaryless’ organisational structure which has adapted to a rapidly changing world with shoppers becoming pro-sumers – half producers and half consumers. And finally, HealthDirect Australia is a national health call centre based in Tasmania. Calls to local emergency department triage desks are diverted to the call centre which provides health advice to callers throughout Australia 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.