Generally, I agree with what you have to say, though I look atthis …

Similarly, I do not think there is an “industrial age” workplace and a “knowedge worker workplace”. Very simply, workplace strategy, design and management is appearing as a real business subject matter.

perhaps a bit differently. I spent 15 years working with large companies as a consultant applying one of the dominant methodologies for work design. I believe that most of the “workplace design, strategy and management” at least in North America and much of western Europe has fundamental assumptions derived from the philosophy of Taylorism. The appearance of information technology applied in massive ways in organizations from the mid 80’s through to today (and continuing) has led to increasing variation and customization, which is what I believe is leading to your …

appearing as a real business subject matter. Different activities will require different workplaces, and being able to design adapted workplaces for its different activities and helping its employees thrive in this new, multiple environment, is going to become a competitive advantage for corporations

In other words, the fragmentation, atomization, personalization - call it what you will - we are all experiencing in many aspects of our lives is also happening in / to the workplace. Yes, in different ways depending upon different (national and corporate) cultures .. and of course different languages and different cultures (stemming from educational systems and the ways people create understanding and meaning) will have different ways of using information and collaboration to create and use knowledge.