Sunday, October 31, 2010

Super Summary for Chapter 2

The chapter started out by defining knowledge workers and how they have shaped the character, leadership and social profile of the modern age. It then went on to say that we have created an SAT-ocracy or regime in which access to the good life depends on the ability to reason logically, sequentially, and speedily. Today though we are moving into an era in which L-Directed thinking won't be enough. The writer gives three reasons for this shift.
ABUNDANCE- He talked about the abundance of shops and what we can buy. He talked about how this prosperity has made people think more of beauty, spirituality, and emotion which are more R-Directed. One quote that was quit interesting to me was: "The United States spends more on trash bags than ninety other countries spend on everything" I noticed that that quote was interesting to the people who summarized before me. Another quote from the auther was: " For businesses it's no longer enough to create a product that's reasonably priced and adequately functional. It must also be beautiful, unique, and meaningful........In an age of abundance, appealing only to rational, logical, and functional needs is woefully insufficient."
ASIA- This section talked about how L-Directed white-collar work is migrating to other parts of the world. It can be done a lot cheaper there. It talked about if routine L-Directed work can be done for less overseas then workers here will need to command a new set of aptitudes. They will need to use R-Directed abilities tackling the big picture rather than the single component.
AUTOMATION- This part started out discussing John Henry vs. the new steam-machine and how it was a parable of the Industrial age. It showed that the machines could do some things better than human beings. This is so much more true today. It compared the computer to the human thinking. A computer is faster, stronger, and full of more information than a human mind. They don't get tired, or get a headache, or choke under pressure. Antomation has changed the work force. Doctors can use the computer to diagnos symptoms. People can use the computer to handle a divorce or set up a will. The computer can share specialized knowledge quickly. We can use automation for a lot of L-Directed thinking that we used to depend on people for.
Conclusion of the chapter- The three above forces are tilting the scales in favor of R-Directed thinking. The writer asked what happens next and then said he is going to examine that in the next chapter.

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