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The EraNova Institute
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Recipe Sought for Turning "Off-peopling" Lemon Into Lemonade

To Solve Job Churn & Supercharge the Economy, EraNova Think Tank Invites Ideas for Sharing the Fruits of Productivity

MOUNTAIN LAKES, NJ, May 24 - Regardless of turns in the economy, off-peopling -- the transfer of human tasks into technology -- promises to continue displacing workers at a rapid pace. A labor backlash could throw a monkey wrench into America's future. But there's a way around the problem.

"Just figure out how to share the fruits of productivity," says Richard W. Samson, director of EraNova Institute. The think tank is collecting "Productivity Sharing" ideas from experts and the general public.

Productivity growth, the engine of our prosperity, would be much greater if people didn't resist it, according to an EraNova report, "MIND OVER TECHNOLOGY: Coming Out On Top as a Wired World Starts to Run On Automatic." Samson, the report's author, points out that U.S. productivity increased an average of 3.1% per year over the past decade, and 5.7% last year in spite of employee resistance to change and management's reluctance to lay people off. "What if no one feared change and everyone hungered for it?" he says. "An ongoing annual rate of 5% to 10% would be a piece of cake."

Employees have good reason to fear productivity. The EraNova report indicates that we're moving toward a future where the majority of definable tasks will be done automatically, whether in offices, stores or factories. That means corporate layoffs will continue regardless of economic ups and downs. Off-peopling, with an impact far greater than offshoring, may be expected to reduce the need for U.S. workers in almost all activities that can be broken down into repeatable steps, including those involving programmable forms of analysis, creativity, and decision making, according to the report.

Due to technological advance and the pressure of global competition, productivity improvement is inexorable, but will be held to relatively low levels -- perhaps 3% or less -- if an aroused electorate induces Congress to slow things down.

How can unbridled improvement be sold to the millions whose jobs are on the line? The key is to find a practical way to spread productivity's benefits around. Broad strategies are offered in the EraNova report, but specific solutions are needed from people on the front lines. Ideas may be submitted to EraNova at www.eranova.com. The best ones will be published and offered for implementation.

Submitters should not be deterred by roadblocks to implementation, but should bear the obstacles in mind while marshalling their creativity. Some ideas might require legislation; others might be implemented on a company-by-company basis; others, by individual communities, cities or philanthropic organizations; and yet others might involve new service mechanisms similar to insurance. Submitters are advised to develop ideas that answer questions such as --

- How can "Productivity Sharing" be implemented in a way that is consistent with free enterprise?
- How can we correct the current trend that is transferring wealth from the middle class to the already wealthy?
- As a practical matter, how can we make it possible for people to move from an obsoleted function to a new one, perhaps in a new company, without fear of losing income?

Along with serious proposals, wild and even humorous ones are welcome. "We need to shake up our thinking," says Samson.

Altering the reward formula could make a huge difference. "Imagine the entire workforce enthusiastically looking for ways to do more in less time, to eliminate steps, to adopt the next high-tech thing and make their boring jobs go away," says Samson. "Something like Moore's Law could take hold and we could see accelerated introduction of things like factory robotics and automated systems everywhere." (Moore's Law, which states that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles every 18 months, has proved sound in practice.) "New technology plus enthusiastic, change-prone people; it's a recipe for transforming the nation and the world."

About "MIND OVER TECHNOLOGY: Coming Out On Top as a Wired World Starts to Run On Automatic":
Trade paper; 268 pages; ISBN 1-59457-234-8; from EraNova, distributed by Global Book Publisher, a partner of R.R. Bowker. It may be ordered from Amazon.com, Borders.com, Alibris.com, BookSurge.com, bookstores, directly from the EraNova site, and by dialing 866-308-6235. An excerpt is available at www.eranova.com. Cover image: http://www.eranova.com/mcover.jpg
Samson, an expert on the mind and technology, has published 10 books and served as consultant to AT&T, Cisco and IBM.
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- posted by Richard W. Samson @ 4:06 PM