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those who still are dragging their feet, Rosabeth Moss Kanter has a singular message: Get going or get left behind. Attitude Get ready for the next step, Select the best step. It's a leap in evolution From the Internet revolution. Just pick a direction In this world of connection. So many problems to solve— You've got to evolve. Chorus, "Evolve!—The Song" learn about their attitudes toward new technologies. Companies that found the most success in the new economy were driven not by youth, Kanter points out, but by a willing- ness, even an eagerness, to change. The corporate stories that emerged from the survey inspired her to write Evolve!, in which she explores the corporate culture of the companies who have embraced technology, and of those who still lag behind. In a recent discussion about her book and her latest views on technological development, Kanter stresses that technolo- gy is not an ungovernable force for change in business, but a tool that should be used wisely and creatively. Moreover, technological innovation demands that businesses and busi- ness schools alike keep their outlooks and approaches fresh in order to be effective in the digital age. BizEd JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2002 TECHFOCUS by Tricia Bisoux More than 20 years into her career, Rosabeth Moss Kanter is renowned for her revolutionary ideas on management, which she shares through her speeches, books, teaching … and rap songs? Yes, in her latest book, Evolve! Succeeding in the Digital Culture of Tomorrow, she even turns to rap to communicate her message: Technology, and the e-culture it inspires, requires business leaders to embrace change, not fear it. The lyrics of "Evolve!—The Song," which open the book, call for people to "find new habits of mind," while the chorus affirms, "You've got to evolve." Already the song has been made into a music video that's getting play in classes, at corporate con- ventions, and even on CNBC Europe and CNN. Rap music may seem an unlikely medium for a Harvard Business School professor metaphor for successful leadership in today's technological times. "We all must try new things and learn to think in new ways," asserts Kanter. "To innovate, we must learn not only to use new technologies, but also to behave differently." From her book The Change Masters in 1983 to When Giants Learn to Dance in 1992, Kanter has been at the forefront of and celebrated business consultant, but her adoption of it proves Kanter practices what she preaches. She is quick to point out that her decision to write the song is an apt the development of new attitudes in management, inspiring CEOs to rethink their definitions of leadership and realize they must change with the times to survive. Kanter holds that this theme has never been more relevant, now that technology and business are so inextricably linked. Recently, Kanter surveyed more than 700 companies to Although technology played a role in your past research on management, this is your first book devoted entirely to the impact of technology on business. What inspired you to survey companies about technology specifically? I've always been interested in aspects of technology because it has had such an influence on organizational behavior. During the 1990s, there were only two really significant develop- ments that changed the way businesses operated. The first was globalization, the result of the deregulation of Asian financial markets and the opening of Eastern European markets after the fall of communism. The second was the introduction of the World Wide Web in 1993. The increasing use of commu- nication and network technologies made all kinds of new applications possible. For anyone interested in change, it's impossible to ignore the Internet. 15 PHOTOS BY PETER SIMON