The Great Fragmentation: And Why the Future of Business is Small

by Steve Sammartino

Doing business in the digital age

The Great Fragmentation: And Why the Future of All Business is Small is a business survival manifesto for the technology revolution. As the world moves from the industrial era to the digital age, power is shifting and fragmenting. Power is no longer about might and ownership; power in a digital world is about access. Existing businesses need to understand this shift and position themselves to survive and thrive in an environment where entrepreneurs and start-ups enabled by access to technology are genuine threats.

Author Steve Sammartino is widely regarded as a thought leader on the subject of technology and business, and helps companies transition from industrial-era thinking to the mindset and processes required to compete in today's digital marketplace. The Great Fragmentation shows how technological changes such as Big Data, gamification, crowdfunding, Bitcoin, 3D printing, social media, mashup culture and artisanal production will forever change business and the way we live our lives.

Examine how the digital era has altered where we work, how we work, where we live and what we do Discover how the digital era has impacted social and economic structures, including educational systems, financial systems and government policy Understand that the social media and collecting 'friends' is just the tip of the iceberg in a digital business environment

Weaving together insights from business, technology and anthropology, The Great Fragmentation provides both corporations and entrepreneurs with a playbook for the future of work, life and business in the digital era.

Genres: Business, Technology, Nonfiction

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 8, 2014

Reviews

[Alastair Woodward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book and really easy to read writing style. Still lots of incisive insights even though I am reading this several years after he wrote the book and given how fast the technology evolution is progressing. He melds brilliantly key aspects of human nature and what makes us tick with the technology and fast-changing world.

[Pieter Van der walt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having a digital strategy is like having a strategy for electricity! - It doesn't make any sense
Social media - is just another extension of human conversation - no need to build a social media strategy or even policy around it
Why is "digital" still in job titles? It's part of life
Using demographics for marketing is expensive and achieves little - focus on interests
3D printing - major disruptor - and perhaps even bigger than the Internet - now makes desktop manufacturing a reality - need to ensure major brands embrace this technology despite being a threat in terms of counterfitting - self replication

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Sammartino is an excellent storyteller who tries, to summarize, the key points of how these industries are changing. He shows how the industrial era's "box thinking" does not fit in well with our current culture and economy. It is fragmenting back to the customized and personal.

This book is crammed full of ideas that are worth researching. Steve has a deep understanding of how the technology works and where it is going. For that, this book is worth reading alone.

[Jose Papo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice overview of the big changes and transformations happening in all industries because of technological and business model innovation disruptions. I liked a lot the chapters on technology deflation and zero-barrier world

[Brian Egger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provided interesting coverage of the ways in which the social web has affected the conduct of business. While many of the topics are covered from a marketing, rather than a financial perspective, which is my personal interest, the breadth of timely topics addressed was gratifying.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about the future from marketeer eyes.