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Chapter 6 Summary - The Untouchables (Brian Rogoff)

Friedman opens this chapter by explaining that in order to compete in a flat, global economy, one must have the right set of skills. Friedman (2005) explains, “There will be plenty of good jobs out there in the flat world for people with the knowledge and ideas to seize them” (p. 237). While people used to be able to obtain good jobs with mediocre skills (i.e. Willy Loman - Death of a Salesman), mediocrity is not enough in a flattened marketplace. Friedman suggests that people must strive to become “untouchable,” in order to avoid the outsourcing of their jobs. He lists four different types of people who are untouchable:

A) People who are __special__ – They have unique talents and abilities that are rare and valuable.

B) People who are __specialized__ – They have skills/knowledge that are in high demand and are not easily lost to lower wage workers.

C) People who are __anchored__ – Their work is specific to face-to-face contact in a specific location.

D) People who are __adaptable__ – They acquire new skills, knowledge, and experience to create value for organizations.

Yet, Friedman warns that few of us can be special, in the way he defines it. To be specialized is desirable, but new technologies are quickly making specialized skills no longer special (i.e. graphic design artists). Similarly, while some jobs may always be anchored, numerous aspects of those jobs may be able to be outsourced to foreign countries. Consequently, He suggests that we strive for adaptability. “Being adaptable in a flat world, knowing how to ‘learn how to learn,’ will be the most important asset any worker can have, because job churn will come faster, because innovation will happen faster” (Friedman, 2005, p. 239).

While we are faced with two choices, to attempt to prevent the outsourcing of jobs or embrace globalization, Friedman promotes the latter choice citing several advantages in America’s infrastructure. First, American research universities are innovative and supported by federal tax dollars. Specifically, the United States has approximately one third of the world’s institutions of higher learning. These universities produce individuals that have created much industry. At the time of publication, MIT graduates had founded over 4000 companies, 1.1 million jobs, and an estimated $232 billion dollars in revenue. Secondly, Friedman (2005) reported that America has the “best-regulated most efficient capital markets in the world for taking new ideas and turning them into products and services” (p. 245). He related that the security and regulation of capital markets protect minority shareholders. Asian countries will not be successful at innovation until they have a “rule of law which protects interests under conditions of risk” (Friedman, 2005, p. 246). Finally, Friedman referenced Vivek Paul who suggested some additional advantages. His list includes America’s openness, quality of property protection, flexible labor laws, large domestic market, political stability, and a marketplace of ideas that promotes international relationships.

Chapter 6 Analysis - Mark Comesanas

“There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self.” ** Aldous Huxley ** I thought this quote was fitting for an analysis on chapter 6 since what Friedman delves into is the actions that can be taken by individuals, to at the very least, survive in this flat world. He completely puts the onus on the individual and provides several characteristics that will help you survive. I agree wholeheartedly with his assumption that in order to be successful in this world you must have passion the job you are doing. He also mentions the need for people skills, the ability to synergize, and problem solve quickly and effectively. Although I think these have been skills that were always valued within our economy, be it 1810, 1910, or 2010, I agree that these are skills which will become a prerequisite for success. Previously, these skills separated the bosses from the employees, but now these are skills that will be required for you to keep your job. That is a scary thought because it could have severe ramifications for this country. First of all it could have a devastating affect on the distribution of wealth in this country. There already exists a huge gap between the small percentage of people who have the largest percentage of wealth when compared with the rest of Americans. Nonetheless, as this trend towards a flat world continues it will only allow for the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer. That would also prove catastrophic for the politics of the United States as well. Friedman put it best when he said “Average Americans historically never resented the rich as long as they felt they had a fair chance to get rich or advance.”(pg. 284) However, what happens when the opportunities for Americans dwindle? Will we see enormous levels of unemployment? Will social welfare programs have enough resources to help those who were not able to make the changes outlined in this chapter? The truth is I don’t know the answer to these questions. I do know that I am concerned for the millions of people who will be vying for thousands of middle level jobs. Friedman even went as far as saying that “Democracy cannot be stable without a broad and deep middle class.” Therefore, these possible changes could lead to a mass of Americans who will become frustrated and possibly rebel in desperation. There could be very unsettling times for our country in the near future.  For these reasons we must begin to lead the charge as educators. I think that we need to make sure we are teaching to the right brain as consistently as we have been to the left. As educators we have to encourage passion in our students. Also we must provide opportunities for social interaction such as peer mediation and collaboration exercises. Lastly, we must integrate problem solving in our daily instruction. It is on us, as educators, to prepare our students for what the world holds for them. Even though we don’t know what