Imagination

I like the title of Friedman’s Conclusion “Imagination”. In the summary of his book it seems like he is trying to show that the key to success is imagination. We need to use it nowadays to keep up with and invent new technology, jobs, applications, businesses etc. We cannot be satisfied with the status quo. The availability of the internet allowing us access to anything or anyone in the world with a computer and internet access. That is a real advantage in most situations. The problem is that with positive also comes negative. Unfortunately, the various terrorist organizations have the ability to get their messages out to any who will listen. But, the ability to put out information that will negate their claims is also within the realm of possibility. The only thing limiting us is our imagination. Like all things in life, we can use the internet, blogs, etc to have a positive impact or a negative impact.

One thing Friedman said really stuck a note for me. He was talking about different statistics to measure society by “There is another statistic, much harder to measure, that I think is even more important and revealing: Does your society have more memories than dreams or more dreams than memories? By dreams I mean the positive, life-affirming variety.” We need to continue to look ahead and dream to keep improving. Without dreams what is there to look forward to in life?

Journey continues Chapter 12, 13, 14

As the journey continues, this week we go to Vietnam. I was real surprised to read about the way the a man started a company in Cambodia, by training people to do work using computers and the data being transferred from other places via the internet. I was amazed at the creativity of this individual.

One of the continuing themes is finding a need and supplying the resources to meet these needs. The man who started a business that gave out small loans for businesses to get started. Smaller amounts than the banks would consider but enough to get someone started in their desired business. This man saw a need and found a way to provide the service.

The way the world is changing the challenge is to keep up and not just look at the needs of today but to look ahead and see what will work for the future. This type of forward thinking is something that Americans have gotten out of the habit of doing. When we, as Americans, wake up and realize the world has caught up to us and will leave us in the dust if we do not change our way of thinking.

I think this type of book, that makes you look at things differently is important to keep you in touch with what is going on in the world and how we can keep up. We need to continue to learn and excel and not sit back and be satisfied with the status quo.

The World is Flat, Chapters 9,10,11

Friedman starts out chapter 9, “This is Not a Test” with a quote from Lyndon B. Johnson, “We have the power to shape the civilization that we want. But we need your will, your labor, your hearts, if we are to build that kind of society”. Civilization has truly changed and we all have the power to help in the shaping of the changes taking place. The leaders in America have helped guide the thinking and some of the changes. It seems like in the 60’s the leaders were more forward thinking than today. It used to be when you got a job and did well you could stay in the same job, doing the same thing for many years without having to change. In today's world we must be able to change and adapt to new things and find a niche to be able to keep our jobs. To stay employed, individuals have to take responsibility for managing their careers. Finding new, efficient ways to achieve goals and be creative doing it. Some of the ideas he touches on regarding employment insurance, something to help if you loose your job. It is a very interesting concept.
The title “Virgin of Guadalupe” brings all kinds of visions to mind. This is the title of chapter 10; I guess it is not a stretch to imagine it deals with Mexico. Friedman brings up interesting points about how some work used to be outsourced to Mexico and now it goes to China. There are many problems with getting businesses up and running in Mexico that it is more cost effective in many cases to use China, despite the fact that Mexico is closer. This is because China made a conscious effort to be “user friendly” to foreign businesses. Friedman uses many different examples, not just China, to show how changes in policy and the way things are done can be very profitable.
“How Companies Cope”, the title of Chapter eleven makes you want to continue reading. By quoting Einstein, “Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.” This really got my attention. Friedman has a list of 9 rules to explain what he means, using examples to illustrate his views. The examples of different companies making changes to survive and prosper make you think about all the possibilities.
This book continues to amaze me and make me look at all the possibilities for improvement in so many things. It has really made me think about how the world has changed and give you a feel for the direction.

Continuing Journey with Friedman

Freidman continues in chapter 6 called the “Untouchables”, starting off by talking about the how we may be dealing with someone in India for one thing, someone form China for another and then dealing with someone in England for another type of business or transaction. You may start with one country and before the process is complete you will deal with multiple countries. The true challenge for Americans is to figure out what their are abilities to provide services and products that are needed by any given company. If you can do that and adapt in a changing environment you will survive and thrive.

The modern day untouchables will be the people who are “really special or specialized”. These include celebrities, famous scientists, and cancer researcher. The have a worldwide market for their skill or service. Others include jobs or services that must be performed in the local area, such as plumbers, electricians, sales clerks, waitresses etc. We as Americans need to look at the different areas that are being outsourced and see how we can retrain or evolve in our present positions to become a valuable resource.

One area that has been overlooked it when you need someone who can explain a difficult problem to work out and get others involved in the problem solving process. There are many people in business today who are brilliant but cannot explain what they are trying to do or get anyone involved in the process. This is where the “explainers” come in handy. They can take a problem and break it down so that all involved in the process are on the same page. That is a real talent and not easily learned. It is an intuitive type of job.

One of the things Friedman talks about is making our kids today be more well rounded students. By learning to interact, play and work with others that makes them more marketable. The piece he wrote about the Georgia Tech students having to be more well rounded was very interesting. He uses examples of the kids working together in band or other team activities to foster the importance of working together. The examples he used were very interesting.

Once again, he keeps you on your toes and wanting to see what the “rest of the story” is all about.

Continuing the Journey with Friedman

Friedman describes the arrival of “zippies as a huge cohort of Indian youth who are the first to come of age since India shifted away from socialism and dived headfirst into global trade and the information revolution by turning itself into the world’s service center.” These young Indians took the knowledge they had of computers, their lack of fear of change and used it to their advantage. They developed a service that was useful and needed. They no longer had to leave their country to find work; they could create their own opportunities and thrive without leaving their homeland.

To make an interesting point Friedman uses an example of a contract being awarded to an US-based subsidiary of an Indian firm to “update the unemployment records for the state of Indiana” to show how the lines between the people being exploited and the ones doing the exploiting becomes very blurred. Basically, the firm agreed to use some local workers as well as Indian workers to complete the task. The work was started and the politicians entered the equation throwing things into a tailspin. They decided the contract should be cancelled because they were not Americans from Indiana performing the job. Was it fair to the people of Indiana to hire another firm at higher cost ($8.1 million more), which leaves less money for unemployment compensation, just to keep non- Americans from completing the job? I find this one a real mind bender.

There are many more interesting examples that show how the lines are blurred for many things involving technology and outsourcing. It is not all good or bad for either side of the equation. I look forward to finding out more.

My whole life I have been taught that the world is round. Christopher Columbus proved that many years ago. Now I am reading Thomas Friedman's book "The World is Flat", and my opinion of the world's shape is changing. Friedman starts off the book with talking about how the world has become flat. The Internet has changed the way we look at the world. People and places that used to seem so far away are only a computer keystroke away. We can communicate with people all over the world more easily by computer to send messages, images, and data across the globe in seconds.

There are so many things that factor into the changes in the way the world is viewed. Friedman talks about the impact the Berlin Wall coming down had on so many aspects of the world. It seems like when the physical wall came down, so many things changed, not just in physical barriers but also communication barriers. The massive amount of changes with computers and their ability to cross so many lines and make communication possible. Software that could allow computers to understand each other and allow the transference of images and data opened up a whole new world.

When you call for customer service for many companies today, I’m not surprised when someone from India, Pakistan, or other parts of the world, answer the phone. Many of the jobs and duties that were done onsite for many businesses are now done from other parts of the world.

If the first two chapters are any indication of what lies ahead in this book, I’m intrigued. I had not realized so many different things came into play for the changes to take place. I find this all very fascinating. I did not really understand how so many of the technological advances have affected all facets of our lives.