Moving from Information Age to Conceptual Age
Daniel Pink is a well known and best-selling author about the changing shape of talent. His provocative works include “The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need”, which interestingly is the first American book in the Japanese comic format known as manga. But you might know him from another one of his very interesting books, “A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age”. The book is a long-running New York Times and BusinessWeek bestseller that has been translated into 18 languages. I just got a copy from Amazon – look out for my next blog post 
. Dan has also worked in the White House, where he served from 1995 to 1997 as chief speechwriter to Vice President Al Gore. You’ll notice the same witty flavor to his engaging presentation in the video below.
As per Daniel, latest brain research suggests that our brain is divided into 2 major hemispheres – the LEFT brain and the RIGHT brain, both of which have clearly delineated tasks. LEFT brain focuses on the tasks that are linear, logical, analytical and/or sequential, while the RIGHT hemisphere processes tasks that are “contextual” and synthesis vs. analysis.
Dan argues that we see clear evidence of this concept in today’s global economy – till early in the century, the LEFT brain mattered the most, and got us here. However the scales are tilting – and (in particular US economy), will leverage the RIGHT hemisphere of the brain much more. He points to 3 main factors – Abundance, Asia and Automation – that points to the generalization, that any and all “routine” tasks… are “commodities” and can be easily outsourced… replacing the white/blue collar workforce. Economies of the advanced nations are/should increasingly becoming economies about “significance”, “aesthetics” and other RIGHT brain things.
I agree with his summary that we have moved from Agriculture Age (the age of farmers) > Industrial Age (the age of the factory workers) > Information Age (the age of Knowledge Workers)… and now are increasingly moving towards the “Conceptual Age” (the age of creators and empathizers). Great idea… couldn’t agree more. The problem is… our education system is way out of sync with this vision. We still rely on SAT, LSAT, GMAT and other such ridiculous scores that measure the volume of your LEFT brain. Maybe this is the right time to confess that back in school… I did my part to ensure a bigger bell curve Kinda reminds me of Malcom Gladwell’s presentation from NewYorker conference about how our talent development and acquisition strategies are still 18th century old and haven’t evolved a bit… while on the other hand… the kind of work we do has undergone dramatic changes. Obama’s pick for secretary of Education, Chicago schools Supt. Arne Duncan, is a reformer respected by traditionalists and innovators alike. Let’s hope his appointment is a positive step in this direction.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4462635091932444874
Tags: Al Gore, Amazon, Arne Duncan, Brain Research, Bunko, Career Guide, Changing Shape, Chief Speechwriter, Clear Evidence, Comic Format, Daniel Pink, Featured, Generalization, Global Economy, Hemisphere Of The Brain, Hemispheres, Information Age, Interesting Books, Left Brain, New York Times, Right Brain, Right Hemisphere Of The Brain, Routine Tasks, Talent, TalentRelated posts
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