While you are studying, a lot is happening out there. And you'd better know what this is about, because your personal success in life is at stake! Message to Generation Y Students:
Cyber-Kids
Ever heard about the Industrial Revolution? This word has been coined to qualify the time when Man acquired the capacity to use mechanization to produce manufactured goods in large-scale enterprises. It all started with machines, about 250 years ago, and it first affected work of course, but it soon appeared that the consequences spread over every aspect of life. Interestingly, these consequences reached some countries even before the core phenomenon itself. Thailand for example enjoyed cheap imported consumer goods and analog technologies before it began to industrialize, 25 years ago.
As recent as it may be, the Industrial Revolution is now superseded by a new kid in town, the Cybernetic Revolution. This qualifies the time when Man acquired the capacity to produce control systems, mainly thanks to computer technologies. So here again, everything started with machines. But this time, the machines opened the door to a global world, and even though the Cybernetic Revolution is about 20 years old and far from mature yet, it is already everywhere, in every home, in every street, including yours.
If you have ever played a game in a cyber-caf? or worked on a project with fellow students using e-mails and attachments, if you have your own website, if you have ever purchased anything on the Net, if you call "friends" people you have never physically met, you have been enjoying the consequences of the Cybernetic Revolution.
Transitional Generation
Simple? Natural? Sure it is for you, but think a minute about what it means for your grandparents who do not understand a thing about e-mails, for companies that have been around for decades and never used computers... It is a whole new world that is unfolding around us, and it is a big mess! In fact, as young as you are, many of the rules, the references, the principles you have been learning are already obsolete, and don't be surprised if you are confused. The economic world, run by older people than you, is in an even greater confusion! Economic giants are falling down like rain, still not understanding why. There is no sure path towards success anymore; neither for companies nor for people.
There is a word for you: you are called the "Generation Y". This qualifies the people who, born between 1975 and 1990, are the first in the entire History to have known computer technologies all their lives. You are also witnessing, and contributing to, the development of networked technologies. Your elders, who have created these technologies, often have the feeling they have unleashed an uncontrollable monster, and they are indeed afraid that this monster might end up controlling them. It may seem like a paradox, but the fact is that they are also suspicious of the youngsters who seem so much at ease with these technologies...
A Big Challenge
As a generation of transition, you are therefore in for a big challenge: on one hand, much of what you learned is obsolete. How can you find out what remains valid? How can you catch up and get up-to-date? On the other hand, much of what you are is not understood. How can you be heard? Where can you turn for help? The world needs you, but does not trust you. How can you earn a place in the sun? How can you become an efficient change agent?
Because that is what we are talking about. This is what the world is expecting from you - you are to be the change agents who will take us into a mature Cybernetic Revolution. You don't want the challenge? Then let's hope you have some money aside, because work is not easy to find when computers and globalization eliminate redundancy.
If you are interested, let's get to business. What can you rely on?
First, you should never forget that timeless wisdom is, and will remain precious. Basic human values will always be there to guide us. And elder people's experience is always interesting if we know what to ask.
But this is not enough. You need a new framework of reference, and this you will find by analyzing the Cybernetic Revolution. You will realize that this phenomenon can be more or less defined by nine main characteristics: Globalization, Molecularization, Reintermediation, Digitalization, Virtualization, Internetworking, Immediacy, Innovation and Knowledge. Then, you need to analyze what defines an economic entity, and you will realize that any economic entity, whether it is a government, a state enterprise, a multinational, a small company, or an individual like yourself, is always defined by five aspects: its Strategic Management, its Financial Resources Management, its Technical Resources Management, its Human Resources Management, and its Supply Chain Management. From there, the whole point is for you to understand how each cyber-characteristic is affecting each aspect of management, because this is the background knowledge you will need to choose your career.
Are you ready?
You may still have a little time before you face the obligation to make choices and launch in a career. But you may have understood by now that it is not too early to prepare yourself. A couple of tips.
First, ask yourself questions before others do. You have the answer, either within you or within reach. But don't hide behind your age, your nationality, your religion, your gender, or even your financial status. These are excuses or protections no more!
Second, make your choices in life by using the new framework of reference that is explained here above. Decide how you will impact the society while ensuring your personal success. From there, identify the competencies you will need and focus on developing them, starting now!
Bangkok, November 13, 2001
Prasena (Thailand) Ltd.
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Download Power Point XP presentation file (Attention: file size rather large, 5.6 MB)
Globalization
Ever heard about Nattawud Daoruang? He probably deserves the title of "Mr. Global Thailand". His website is the most popular personal homepage in Southeast Asia, receiving 10,000 visitors per week from 120 countries. He is one of you, a Thai teenager who just takes for granted that the world is his playground. Let's bet he is going to do just the same in the company that recruits him, and that will be a lucky employer! Ask yourself: is your English fluent? Have you ever had a real discussion with a Farang? Do you know the capital city of Finland?
"Globalization" qualifies the tendency of any entity/activity/technology to acquire a dimension that grows beyond any "frontier" that would be imposed by such criteria as geography, culture, religion, gender, age, etc. Anything and/or anybody can have a worldwide impact.
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Molecularization
Who was the superstar selected by Tom Peters in his recent best-seller "Thriving on Chaos"? Bill Gates, or any Fortune 100 CEO, you might think. But no, not at all! It was Paolo Azuela, a simple housekeeper at the Ritz Carlton hotel in San Francisco. The reason given was that Mr. Azuela is authorized to spend, on the spot, up to US$ 2,000 (~THB 90,000) to fix any customer problem. This may not mean much to you, but check around you and you will quickly see that many top executives today are not entitled to spend this amount without a few signatures! Yet, The Ritz Carlton is on the right track: the trend is that each employee becomes a business unit, empowered and autonomous, and that's what you will be expected to be. Ask yourself: Do you feel comfortable taking decisions? Are you good at teamwork? What about managing a project?
"Molecularization" qualifies the tendency of any entity/activity/technology to adopt a molecular structure. Small, flexible, adaptable, expert units can function independently or gather temporarily depending on expected benefits.
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Digitalization, Virtualization
Do you know the Encyclopedia Britannica? It is a very old institution, one that was world market leader in encyclopedia for 200 years. Their products were huge, heavy books that took an entire bookshelf at home. And then, one day, Microsoft had this idea to produce Encarta. Not so rich in knowledge in fact, but such fun! An encyclopedia with games and sound, using videos and computer simulations… It was so great that Encyclopedia Britannica lost the market leadership, quasi-overnight. Fortunately, it reacted fast and well. Now, you buy your encyclopedia on CD-ROM, but it is not a simple CD. It is the door to the Web, and this virtual encyclopedia has become the repository of the world's knowledge. You are now therefore expected to function in a virtual world, where virtual teams work on virtual workspaces, use virtual books and learn in virtual universities. All this is possible because information is being more and more digitalized. Ask yourself: do you need to print a document to read it? Have you ever worked on a database? Have you ever teleworked?
"Digitalization" qualifies the tendency of any entity/activity/technology to convert all information into a digital form so as to speed up information flows, enable information sharing and therefore transactions with minimal human intervention.
"Virtualization" qualifies the tendency of any entity/activity/technology to function in virtual reality, that is in such a way that performance does not require physical presence.
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Reintermediation
Ever heard about Daft Punk, these weird helmeted guys whose music is quite popular? They have understood how great it is to be able to get in direct touch with their fans. If you have been on their site, you have surely noticed that not only you can discuss with them, download their songs, but you are invited to re-mix them, do whatever you want with them, and then upload your creative results for the benefit of all. No more intermediaries, or rather, the website constitutes the new paradoxical intermediary that allows direct relations. This is but one example of how you will need to work. Ask yourself: When in need of information, do you go to the source? How would you feel talking to a CEO? Are you "fluent" at Internet search?
"Reintermediation" qualifies the tendency of any entity/activity/technology to function in direct relation with its partners, unless the introduction of an intermediary proves beneficial.
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Internetworking
Are you interested in a Rama V 1906 coin, very rare? If you were visiting eBay from time to time, you would have seen it on auction sale a few days ago. You could have seen how high the bid was, you could have seen who were the other bidders and contacted them, and of course you could have participated in the bid. In this, you would have found yourself in a network of people interacting for a common purpose. In the professional world, you will be invited to work this way in interactivity with suppliers, clients, partners, even competitors, because no product can be designed, produced or distributed efficiently without such integrated cooperation. Ask yourself: With how many people are you in regular contact in the world? Are you part of any network? Does it happen often that you have to re-input information to make it available to other people?
"Internetworking" qualifies the tendency of any entity/activity/technology to function in constant contact with various partners within networks that become more and more wide, multi-directional and interactive.
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Immediacy
Have you ever tried to monitor the status of a package you sent by express mail? You should, because courier companies today offer you all the means to do so. Try the Fedex site, and you'll see you can order a send from your computer, and then track it on real time basis. Real time is getting big nowadays. Ask yourself: How long do you take to answer your e-mails? Do you do your assignments at the last minute? How do you react if something unexpected comes up?
"Immediacy" qualifies the tendency of any entity/activity/technology to function on real-time basis, which entails the immediate response to queries as well as the capacity to react fast to any event.
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Innovation
You should know James Dyson. He is a guy who felt that home appliances were really too boring, and yet everybody got them. So, he decided to do something about it, and he turned a vacuum cleaner into a real cool design, a gadget that one is proud to exhibit in ones' living room. The Dyson products are coming to Thailand. Wait a bit, and you'll see it will be as fashionable to get a Dyson as it is to have the latest Nokia mobile phone. And although he already made billions of dollars, James Dyson does not stop here. Watch out for his revamped washing machine! Innovation is a must today. And what is nice is that innovation is fun. Successful innovation requires a creative mess; it requires silliness (post-its were considered silly at the beginning; so was the www!). It requires that you be different, think different and act different. Ask yourself: How many new ideas do you have per day? Have you communicated some of them? Have you implemented any?
"Innovation" qualifies the tendency of any entity/activity/technology, freed from menial tasks by the virtue of other cyber-characteristics, to produce ever more new ideas that may be converted into concrete applications.
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Knowledge
As students, you are constantly required to absorb, digest, develop knowledge. That's your job, and some of you may think that this job will end the day you graduate. You would be very wrong! Indeed, knowledge may be as old as the universe, but its importance is getting so great that it is considered as one of the main characteristics of the Cybernetic Revolution. What is new is that not only humans, but also technologies, products even are becoming "smart", knowledgeable. Genetic software are learning by themselves, smart products act as if they were thinking for us. The task for Man is huge, because it means that the type of knowledge we need to acquire is at the highest level, and it is constantly challenged, endlessly pushed forward. This is not something we can stop doing at any time - acquiring, developing and sharing knowledge is becoming our main job, for life. Ask yourself: Do you know what you like? How much do you know about what you like? What is learning for you, a way to develop yourself or a way to fly away from reality? Do you share knowledge with others?
"Knowledge" qualifies the tendency of any entity/activity/technology to acquire and develop more and more knowledge, partly due to the time freed by virtue of the other cyber-characteristics (more time to acquire and share knowledge), partly due to the pressure put by other cyber-characteristics (more motivation to learn and teach), partly due to the availability of information offered by the other cyber-characteristics (more sources of knowledge), and partly due to the fact that technologies themselves have been given the capacity to learn (new sources of knowledge).
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