The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman
5/18/07
Perhaps the best book I've ever read. Mind expanding yet gelling it all together and at the same time thought provoking and awe inspiring. As it turns out, the world is flat, and it is getting flatter everyday. By this, Friedman implies that the world is connecting in ways that are unobstructed: pick up a phone, step into a VTC, language matters less (and more all at the same time), business, supply chains, they don't care about boarders or distance; they are globalized, and getting more so everyday.
The result of this global flatness is deep. Global supply chains ensure security. Through global connectivity, business knows no bound, yet at the same time, the business of terrorism is allowed to thrive at the same rate as commerce. Fortunately, I believe that this greater connectivity will eventually allow most all to prosper. It will take time, and much change, but the world is connecting. And as Barnett would agree, the Gap is shrinking.
Fair treatment is paid to how the flattened, connected world, allows those who do not have opportunity in their own countries to see the opportunity of others. As they themselves are not allowed to achieve, they become frustrated, and frustration breads violence and all the other terrible, unflat, disconnected nightmares.
So much of the discussion of how the world has become flat and what that flatness allowed is obvious. However, Friedman throws it all in front of you amazingly meshing of statistics, common sense, and revealing examples. A tremendous journalistic work that, perhaps as he has set out to do, ignites your imagination.
In Summary:
The book begins by talking about events that occurred to “flatten” the world. In all, it started when the Berlin Wall came down and a huge chunk of the world was able to connect. This moves on to the development of the internet, outsourcing, open sourcing, off-shoring, supply chaining, in-sourcing, informing, and the steroids that are making it all go faster. All this is tied together by what is called a triple convergence of all of these technologies though out the world.
Some fascinating examples are how Dell Computers pulls form a hugely global, just in time supply chain. How UPS is delivering not just packages, but supply chaining, warehousing, etc. You could be a company and have UPS manage all of your inventory and its delivery; you don’t even need a warehouse. Toshiba even has UPS take care of their actual computer maintenance activities.
Friedman then goes on to explain the implications of this flattened world and how it pertains to the U.S., developing nations, companies, and geopolitics. The flattening is allowing the growth of business where there countries that have rule sets allow it. At the same time those who are disallowed to watch the process in plan view. Friedman uses this to provide an excellent analysis of what is driving the Islamist movement that is so degrading the development of the Middle East. He then explains how radicals can use the connectedness to further disconnect their societies. Paradoxical in essence, but plainly obvious after consideration.
Examples are provided of all kinds of different rules about forming businesses, hiring and firing. In the US, it is pretty easy, in other countries it may take a year to start a business and law may require more capital that is realistic. Innovation stifled by archaic rules.
The conclusion is that Imagination is the key ingredient in prospering in these flattened times. Imagination in America to keep us leading the charge, imagination in developing nations to bring their poorest people with them as they prosper, and imagination in disconnected states to find a way to connect (and remove the power grubbing elites).
