INTRODUCTION

● F set out on a journey to document the radical changes across the world
● This radical change is due to the immense growth in tech
● Opens readers eyes to a more competitive and connected world

HOW THE WORLD BECAME FLAT

● Journey began in Bangalore India

● Appeared more american than indian
● F experience wd instant connectivity of workers around the globe to collaborate for a
single company opened his eyes to the new world we live in

GLOBALIZATION 1.0

● Large > medium

● Countries and their respective strengths defined this era
● Those who utilized their size and power more effectively dominated this era (e.g.
Spain and Great Britain

GLOBALIZATION 2.0

● Medium > small

● World was dominated by multinational companies
● Steam engine and railroad - falling transpo costs
● Telegraph, telephone , PC, fiber - optic cable and early versions of WWW - lower
telecomm costs
● ^^ allowed labor and market to go global
● HARDWARE was the essential driver, and laid foundation of globalization 3.0

GLOBALIZATION 3.0

● Small > tiny

● Driven primarily for software
● ^^ empowered billions of individuals
● Massive investments in tech such as fibre optic cables and massive advancements in
the PC made our current tech possible

● Competitive landscape for business has drastically changed bc of these

advancements
● Like outsourcing, it has made production and efficiency rise up to 100 %
● Homesourcing was also another phenomenon, allowed people to do things from the
comfort of their own homes
● Both ar founded in the same idea - sourcing which is possible bc of empowerment of
tech
THE TEN FORCES THAT FLATTENED THE WORLD

1. 11 / 9 / 89 ( The Fall of The Berlin Wall )

● Opened the world to a democratic , free - maket oriented governance, not only
through the liberation of those under the Soviet Union
● Flung open the windows of economic freedom to Brazil, India, and China as well
● Development of PC contributed to the fall, allowed individuals to communicate more
freely and efficiently

2. 8 / 9 / 95

● Netscpae goes public

● WWW is available to everyone
● Internet protocols were essential to the organization of WWW ( HTTP , HTML etc.)

3. Work Flow Software

● Windows - enabled PC gives businesses ability to manipulate digital content

● Software standardozed a lot of thins which gave companies the freedom to
manipulate the info themselves
● Standardization allowed computers to communicate info in a more efficient and
secure manner
● Eventually, all platforms began using the same language

4. Uploading

● Internet has given individuals the ability to add their own content to the global
community
● Flipped traditional flow of info from top down model to a bottom - up model
● Growth int he open - source community
● Brings together a massive amt of coding experts that collab to develop tech

5. Outsourcing

● Partnering with other countries to do hobs etc

6. Offshoring

● Manufacturing their products in other countries to decrease costs and increase

productivity

7. Supply - Chaining

● Global supply chains allow companies to quickly communicate info between all
vendors as demand for products ebbs and flows
● allow s efficient restocking etc.
8. Insourcing

● Focus on themselves , their core competencies so that they may be able to grow
more

9. In - forming

● Search engines have been made equally available to everyone which makes info
accessible to everyone

10. The Steroids

● Enhance

❖ Uploading
❖ Outsourcing
❖ Offshoring
❖ Supply - chaining
❖ Insourcing and informing

● 1 - Enhance capabilities in computation, storage and inputting / outputting info thru

computers
● 2 - Breakthrough in instant messaging and file sharing
● 3 - phone calls made over the internet, / voice over internet protocol ( VoIP
● 4 - videoconferencing
● 5 - major advancements in computer graphics
● All of these factors allow individuals communicate and collaborate faster and more
efficiently

● Convergence had to happen to feel the full - effect of these flatteners

● Convergence has happened since the . com boom of the late 1990s
● New players entered the game, playing field changed, and new processes for
horizontal collab were created
● Created new web - enabled platform which introduced comp into the marketplace
that never before existed
● Students now competed wd more students
● Businesses must operate more horizontally , regardless of distance, time and
language to maintain position in global landscape
● Managers must effectively administer strengths of new tech into their business
practices
● Full effect of changing landscape happened when convergence was fully taken
advantage of
● Forward thinking managers capitalised on the benefits horizontalization by
connecting and collaborating with the strengths available across the globe
● Nearly 3 billion people entered the world
● Triple convergence has blown away our ceiling, floors, and walls simultaneously
● Walls prohibited collab - fiber - optic cables, internet, and work - flow software
● Ceilings - ability of individuals to upload any thought / innovation anytime
 ● Floor - ability to dig deeper into passions / ideas in WWW
● New relationship dynamics have been formed
● Individuals think in terms of what best for them as citizens / taxpayers , also desire
stability as employees and pure profit as shareholders
● Govt desires to satisfy their voters by keeping jobs in US while being a good steward
of taxpayer money
● Gigantic dilemma exists for individuals across the spectrum in deciding where they fit
in this world
● One must ask , “Who is exploited and who is the exploiter?”

AMERICA AND THE FLAT WORLD

● America should remove barriers to trade and info sharing

● Improve strategy at home to encourage innovation by improving education while
bringing more countries to the global trade system
● ^^ increase demand for supplies and services while decreasing unemployment and
job migration
● Similar to flating obj in water - if water rises, obj rises wherever it is and vice versa
● ^^ when global trade is free, it will encourage the most efficient flow in resources ,
countries, companies and individuals which will all benefit from this flow of trade
● In a culture that leans towards more protectionism and anti outsourcing, the concept
that all benefit form a flat and free world thru efficient allocation of resources and an
expanded marketplace is a mindset the US needs to adapt

CATEGORIES OF WORKERS THAT STAY AHEAD IN THE GLOBAL MARKET

The Great :

1. Collaborators and Orchestrators

● Able to administrate and execute 25 / 7 /7 horizontal , global supply chains

2. Synthesizers

● Effectively bring together differing experts to create new products and

services

3. Explainers

● Break down complex global trends into simple instructions for others to understand
easily
● Writers , journalists etc

4. Leveragers

● Ability to integrate the best of what computers can do wth the best of what
humans can do to increase productivity
 5. Adaptors

● Apply a depth of skill to a wide array of situations

● Build strong relationships and assume new roles

6. Green People

● Express in renewable and sustainable energy

7. Passionate Personalizers

● Add a personal , intangible dimension to their occupations

8. Math Lovers

● Experts in math now have roles to play in every aspect of business

9. Localizers

● Understand the 10 forces of glonalization and their subsequent convergence

● Meets needs of local clients thru small businesses ( does majority of hiring
and firin in US)

● Workers need to adjust their skills to fall into one of the 9 categories to achieve job
security and financial prosperity
● Many traditional jobs will be coputerized
● We need to devlop our right brain , context, emotional expression and synthesis
● We need to “learn how to learn” for the growth of our right brain - know how to teach
yourself new skills and concepts
● We need the ability to navigate thru the noise ( mindless socmed ) in order to absorb
and process info
● Extreme competitive advantage is provided by : Curiosity Q + Passion Q > IQ
● With all the access that is available, opportunities are limitless, curiosity and passion
is what is needed to rise above the pack

● 3 keys to countries who will win the race to the top in a flat world:

❖ Infrastructure to connect
❖ Edu programs and knowledge skills or people to innovate
❖ Appropriate governing policies related to tax, trade laws, research and
intellectual property

AREAS WHERE AMERICA IS SUFFERING

1. The Numbers Gap

● Massive decrease in number of 18 to 24 year old americans receiving sci

degrees
 ● 17th in world

2. The Education Gap at the top

● Lack of adequate edu resulting in poor performance metrics

3. The Ambition Gap

● Outsourcing jobs overseas not only cuts costs but also increases efficiency to
100 %
● This results in less competitive Americans

4. The Education Gap at the Bottom

● American education system has allowed local communities to organize edu

on a localized level
● This resulted in a patchwork education system that gave better educations to
those in wealthy communities and dismal educations to those living in poverty
● Many lower end jobs are dying out, so the lack of education will be a dead
end for those living in poverty

5. The Funding Gap

● Decrease in federal funding for physical and mathematical sciences and

engineering

6. The Infrastructure Gap

● America’s failure to increase broadband connectivity, which curtails

advancing productivity and innovation in almost every sector

● US must take a strategic and comprehensive approach if they want to remain in

power

COMPASSIONATE FLATISM

● Improvements in sci, math engineering

● Govt should commit to laying the foundation for its citizens to succeed
● Politicians need to focus on rather transformation compared to the enver ending
repair of a broken system
● They must also have the knowledge on the flattening world, and have the imagination
and inspiration to drive their constituents to success
● Change in companies promising lifetime employment to a process of ensuring
lifetime employability
● ^^ entails emplyees wd opportunities to learn the skills needed for the new middle
class allowing them to stay relevant in todays world
● There should be more flexible packages which follow the employee from job to job
● Available secondary edu opportunities for any individual
 ● “Keep the good fat”
● ^^ refers to the govt social programs that provide citizens incentive to work and
innovate
● Improved parenting
● ^^ affirm children with the truth abt the world they live in and challenge them to work
hard in the new competitive landscape

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND THE FLAT WORLD

● Should enforce policies that are necessary for them to succeed

● Must undergo serious introspection to define capabilities and weaknesses
● Undergo “reform wholesale”
● ^^ lay foundation for growth by establishing policies necessary for free trade and
global enterprise
● under go “reform retail”
● ^^ invest in edu and governance, give citizens the framework they should take in
order to succeed
● WBIFC says must establish appropriate level of regulation in competitive markets
● Analyze on how well the culture of the country “glocalizes” - combine best practices
and foreign ideas with the strengths of their culture
● The “intangible things” - society’s buy in to econ development and leaders wd vision
pulls together the traits fundamental for growth
● Poverty etc can be lifted thru a commitment to a collective set of ideas and policies
and globalization