Today, Erica Orange’s blog post appeared on DeVry University President Blog on the “Future of Careers in the Emerging Economy.”

Click here to check it out.

In a recent Working Paper, Jared Weiner highlighted the evolution of  several personal, professional and sociopolitical venting outlets.  From all of our research, we have seen several factors leading to what we call “the reinvention of venting.”  The reinvention of venting is profoundly changing social, political and cultural expression.  What it means to express oneself or share opinions in an open forum is shifting dramatically – thanks in part to the enormous growth of social media.

This trend is putting a spotlight on the realization that consumers (or people in any context) will be resourceful in finding ways to channel built-up energies into any readily available outlets.   Look, for instance, at the newly-popular YouTube video entitled “Target Ain’t People” by the group MoveOn.  Angry at Target’s donation of over $150K to a conservative candidate for Governor of Minnesota, a flash mob descended on the big box retailer and … sang!

In the end, the real story is that organizations and individuals have no place left to hide. They are made visible in the new wave of documentaries, like Michael Moore’s “Roger and Me” and “Sicko,” to Robert Kenner’s “Food, Inc.,” or in demonstrations like the rise of the Tea Party, or in the countless websites that comment, expose and attack. Venting is being totally reinvented, and that will change everything from human resource management, politics, law, international relations, board governance, marketing and business practices to individual and organizational reputation.

Locally and globally, we continue to see that the nature of jobs is profoundly changing, and what we do in order to earn our incomes, and how we do it, will never be the same.  Importantly, none of this will ever again conform to what were the norms or rules or expectations across companies or through the years.

Today, I (Erica) had the pleasure of participating in DeVry University’s first In-Demand Careers Conference. This timely event examined where information security, healthcare management and accounting is moving in the future.  I spoke to the audience about the galloping pace of change, and how a slew of new technologies are ushering people out of their jobs, and changing the way we work and live. While many people view the current economic climate as a recession, we view this as a period of transformation.  We are moving from the world as we have always known it to a radically new one – and with it comes an urgent need for new ways of doing business, structuring organizations, and living our lives.

At the event, I spoke about how careers will never be the same as they used to be, and will look very different in the years to come. The idea that there are definitive beginning, middle and end stages to an individual’s life is also shifting.  People are now more likely to quit work and go back to school or retire and then take up a new career than ever before; life is less and less likely to follow a linear path.  There are also no career paths any more in one place or one industry, and there is no longer any guarantee that the job will even be there as long as a year later.

It will become increasingly important for universities, such as DeVry, to teach a new generation about data security and risk, and help students identify and address the real-world challenges of IT security in new and innovative ways.

The four of us (Edie, Arnold, Erica & Jared) have had the pleasure of working with Vibhuti Jha in numerous capacities over the years.  He always adds considerable insights at our quarterly STEP meetings, and possesses intimate and in-depth knowledge of Indian culture, economics and politics.  He is the President for the Human Potential Project, and a faculty member in McDaniel College, Baltimore, in their graduate program “Leadership in Global Enterprise”.

He contributes a regular column to the Times of India.  The text of his latest column (Leadership – Technology, Corruption and Redemption!) is listed below.  We love getting his perspective, so we hope you enjoy it!

Events of the last few weeks and days may not have caused any change in the lives of political leaders all over the world but the pivotal role of technology may perhaps be causing them some concern. In genuine and authentic democracies around the world, where we have freedom of the press, these events have become visible to the public, to the voters and the discussions continue almost round the clock! I am talking about the CWG scandal in India,  Wikileaks exposure of  the US and Pakistan’s double or triple play, Chinese human rights violations in Tibet, to name a few.

In each of these incidents people are witnessing  a crass manipulation of instruments of politics, religion,  diplomacy, economics and war by people in power who incidentally have given every justification for whatever they are doing  ‘in the name of the people.” In each of these events and incidents, technology has played a key role in exposing behind the scene manipulations and it enabled a continuous chase of those events in keeping the fire lit whenever and wherever possible. Even in cases where the issue seemed dead and buried, technology has created the potential and the possibility alive to bring the story to the forefront literally with a click of a mouse.  The dilemma for leaders now is that they cannot hide anymore, not for too long and certainly not forever!

The common man bestows unswerving loyalty and faith to those who are in position of power. They virtually end up worshipping those in power in an unfailing faith and hope that the powerful will lift the common miseries of the powerless. But that perhaps remains a pipe dream. What the leaders need to recognise, and they better do it fast, is that the time for camouflage, deception, forked tongue manipulation of the voters is gradually coming to an end, sooner than later.

And finally, our business leaders must recognise and realise that  technology tracks their every move,  every statement and action and there are just too many eyes watching and observing them whether via the webcam, satellites over or under and the trail left behind on the hardware via the software they use!  Nobody can get away with the lies and deceptions anymore.

The redemption for all leaders will come by committing to a better, authentic and impeccable transparency in conduct and behaviour for a majority regardless of the imperfections, difficulties and challenges of governance in a democratic set up. It is impossible to make everyone happy.  And, of course, there would still be many more who will continue to strive with their innovations in how to beat this imperfect system!  We are humans after all with unlimited potential – we need to channel our human potential in the right direction.

As technology has advanced, so has the experience of shopping.  New distribution channels have provided new opportunities for consumers.  People no longer shop only in stores, out of catalogs and from websites.  Thanks to virtual reality, people can now shop in an entirely new dimension, and it is helping enhance the experience by making it more personal and realistic.  At the same time, avatars are also beginning to populate the virtual landscape and are becoming powerful economic consumers.

If most people today were to walk into a typical clothing store, what would they find?  They would find the fitting rooms to be little closets in the back, with no technology in the service of the customer.  This is largely because the store designers themselves are stuck in the world they knew before new distribution channels became popular.  But things are beginning to change.

A couple years ago, we saw Accenture come out with the Online Wardrobe, a smart closet which uses sensors, tagging and tracking technologies to keep track of the clothing you already own, and helps you buy coordinating items, either online or in physical stores. This way a new way of connecting the real/physical and virtual worlds.

I recently came across a fantastic video that Adam Gordon posted on his  blog The Future Cafe that changes the way we look at the concept of the retail fitting room:

An extraordinary revolution is taking place on the front end of retailing.  Now, time and digital technology are combining to alter the entire pre-purchase and purchase process.  The payment process is also being revolutionized.  People can “bump” their mobiles and transfer money, and swipe their mobiles and purchase products.  Social media and networks pass along recommendations and tweet product experience and preferences.  Advertising avenues and messaging are multiplying rapidly, and and the disintermediation of traditional channels is rampant.

However, as technology rapidly advances, it will be increasingly important to pay particular attention to the experience of the purchase (and not just the technology), since it is the experience, after all, that seems to generate the long-term satisfaction.

The September/October issue of The Futurist magazine includes Erica Orange’s article “From Eco-Friendly to Eco-Intelligent.”  As posted on the World Future Society website, here is a brief summary of the piece:

Around the world, growing numbers of consumers are purchasing supposedly eco-friendly products such as organic clothing, energy-saving light bulbs, and reusable shopping bags. But how much is actually known about these products, and are they as environmentally beneficial as they claim? Consumers are repeatedly told it’s okay to consume everything that’s eco-friendly, but the cumulative effect of that consumption on the environment is immense.

The article also talks about the importance of reexamining our current waste streams, and thinking not in terms of cradle-to-grave, but cradle-to-cradle.  This shift in thinking will be revolutionary.  In the future, being green will mean taking into consideration the entire life cycle of a product when designing it. By successfully integrating eco-design principles into products and services, companies will be able to gain a key competitive advantage.  As the pace of change increases, organizations will more frequently feel the pressure of societal tides like “social responsibility” and “environmentally friendly.” Transparency and authenticity is crucial.

If anyone would like a copy of the PDF, please email us (info@weineredrichbrown.com).

Storytelling is as old as human history.  Traditionally, we have thought of all stories as having a beginning, a middle and an end.  But it appears that the non-linear approach is becoming more common in the world today.  The popular filmmaker, Christopher Nolan, exemplifies this approach in his movies.  Back in 2000, his film Memento told the story of a man whose memory does not exist.  The film’s events unfold in two separate, alternating narratives – one in color, and the other in black and white. The black and white sections are told in chronological order, and the color sequences are told in reverse chronological order.  In Nolan’s most recent film, Inception, non-linear storytelling forces the audience on a journey through a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through many levels of dream invasion.

But this trend is not only true in storytelling and movies.  The idea that there are definitive beginning, middle and end stages to an individual’s life is also shifting.  People are now more likely to quit work and go back to school or retire and then take up a new career than ever before.  As we have seen over and over again, life is less and less likely to follow a linear path.  This will only become more common as the average life span grows longer. The move away from a linear life path for younger people is partially reflective of their expectations that you can invent your own story, choose your own endings, and not wait until the end for rewards.

It is possible that in the networked world in which we now live, and in which connections are now made in a web-like pattern as opposed to a straight line, we will continue to move away from linear narratives in many aspects of our lives.  As children and youth, with their more malleable brains, develop in an increasingly networked world, it does not seem unreasonable to assume that they will be comfortable creating and functioning in a culture where non-linear narratives are the norm.  If young brains start out processing information in a non-linear fashion, then it may be possible that growing up in a networked world will encourage the brain to stay with that sort of processing.

An increasingly non-linear path in the life cycle will add to the difficulty of raising a family, which is already increasing as a result of the incredibly dynamic culture in which we live.  Individuals, lacking a norm or standard to compare themselves to at various times in their lives, will question if they are doing the right thing at the right time.  In the workplace, boredom is likely to increase for those who can’t stick with a linear narrative.  The gamer generation will require the re-framing of tasks so as to inspire them and allay their boredom and disinterest.  This will present a challenge to managers unable to adapt to the non-linear approach.  Schools, too, must make changes – the old methods of teaching do not reach, or prepare, students living in an increasingly web-structured world.

And just as all of us may be increasingly confused in the world in which we now live, confusion reigns in the lives of the young.  But what is also confusing is the way in which we define “youth” in the coming economy. Up through the last half of the 20th century, adolescence was viewed as an important life stage that marked the transition years between childhood and adulthood.  The modern life cycle came to contain multiple phases of youth:  infancy, toddler, childhood, adolescence, late teens and early adulthood.  What is emerging in the early years of the 21st century is a blending of these phases, and an extension of youth into what we might have considered full adulthood.

As the lines become increasingly blurred, absolute demarcations between populations and generations will no longer exist.  Demographic variables will be increasingly hard to quantify – lines become more nebulous.  Tangible definitions of household, income level, age, gender, race and ethnicity, employment status, religious affiliation, location, educational attainment, mobility, marital status, will all be inadequate for the nonlinear world into which we are moving.

After all that has happened these past few years with respect to the global recession, pundits everywhere are concerned with predicting when, where and how the next subprime-like “bubble” will occur. Speculation runs rampant, as analysts who adhere to determinist principles assume they can accurately predict the next iteration/s of such an economic bubble.  Two interesting examples of sectors where some analysts see warning signs are listed below:

1) Microfinance in India Lending to the poor has proven so profitable in India that microfinance institutions saw their loan portfolio jump from $252 million to $2.5 billion in two years, raising fears of a subprime-like microfinance bubble. Critics say that the expansion has been too large, too fast, and too geographically concentrated – pointing to incidents of mass default in pockets of the country.With an estimated 400 million people lacking access to formal banking services, India is considered one of the world’s largest microfinance markets.

2) Higher Education in the U.S. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has initiated a new investigation into federal investment in higher education. Congress last instituted reforms in the for-profit education sector two decades ago, but federal aid to students at for-profit schools has rapidly increased, approaching $24 billion last year – with an additional $36 billion Pell Grant boost approved in March. A report released recently by chairman Senator Tom Harkin found that up to 90% of for-profit schools’ revenue comes from Washington and that for-profit students are graduating with more debt than students at public or private nonprofit universities. With 96% of proprietary students taking out loans, and nearly half of them defaulting, taxpayers foot the bill. At current increasing enrollment and loan rates, there could be $330 billion in defaults in the coming decade. According to some analysts, government money, lightly supervised institutions, unchecked supervising bodies and debt-trapped students all sound similar to the subprime-mortgage collapse.

Are these analysts shrewdly observing the makings of future bubbles, or are they serving more as alarmists who capitalize on today’s climate of fear among the general public? Whatever the answer, we are undoubtedly going to see increasing speculation, and consequently — more industries/sectors coming under fire from global regulatory bodies.

i-Dosing is the new gateway drug.  The trend is a supposedly “legal” and “safe” way to alter one’s consciousness.  These “digital drugs” use “binaural, or two-toned, technology to alter your brain waves and mental state,” producing a “state of ecstasy” for the user.  i-Dosers listen to these atonal tracks while sitting motionless with headphones on.

It may sound benign, but parents, educators and law officials are worried that i-Dosing could be addictive, harmful, and a gateway “drug” to other illegal substances.

i-Dosing tracks like “Gate of Hades” can be found on YouTube and give listeners a free taste for i-Dosing. According to Wired.com, “those who want to get addicted to the ‘drugs’ can purchase tracks that will purportedly bring about the same effects of marijuana, cocaine, opium and peyote. While street drugs rarely come with instruction manuals, potential digital drug users are advised to buy a 40-page guide so that they learn how to properly get high on MP3s.”

As we delve deeper into the inner-workings of the brain, we are uncovering more and more as it relates to addiction.  This emerging society of addiction will also have numerous consequences for the workforce.  Productivity could be greatly affected as people get sidetracked into more appealing pursuits, young unemployed people could become more alienated from the mainstream economy, and the marketing skills needed in organizations will change from the traditional to the more sociopsychological realm.   This is just the tip of the iceberg.

This is a test for all of you…Which sense is most closely tied to memory?  The answer? Smell.  A smell can bring on a flood of memories, influence people’s moods and even affect their work performance. Because the olfactory bulb is part of the brain’s limbic system, an area so closely associated with memory and feeling, smell can call up memories and powerful responses almost instantaneously.

Marketers and advertisers are catching onto this.  A number of brands and social initiatives are now experimenting with sensory memory, looking to wield their own indelible stamp on consumers’ subconscious.  Here are some examples:

Meaty Billboards: Salisbury, N.C.-based Bloom grocery stores made history by erecting the first-ever scent-emitting billboard which sprays a charbroiled smell over a highway via a giant fan.  The billboard features a giant fork-stabbed bite, and emits a charcoal- and black pepper-scented oil to passing cars.

Toothsome Greeting Cards: American Greetings is introducing a new Tasties collection. Each card contains a dissolvable flavor strip that corresponds to the occasion it marks. A birthday card emblazoned with an image of a cupcake tastes like vanilla. Other reported flavors include “donut” and “margarita.”

Fresh Air Fund Fragrances: MacArthur Genius Grant recipient Majora Carter, founder and executive director of community organization Sustainable South Bronx, together with French perfumers Bruno Jovanovic and Pascal Gaurin, Carter created L’Eau Verte du Bronx du Sud (“Green Water of the South Bronx”), a scent containing essences of rain, grass and citrus fruit, with which to infuse the common areas inside an entire low-income apartment complex in the South Bronx. Carter believes that the Sister Thomas Apartments, located a little too close for comfort to a sewage treatment plant and a trash transfer station, will benefit tremendously from a real breath of fresh air.

Scenting an entire building is the latest ambition in a growing business that has, for years, gone unnoticed by most consumers.  There are now ~20 companies worldwide specializing in ambient scent-marketing and dispersion technology. Industry executives value the business at roughly between $80 million and $100 million.

According to a recent article in Business Week:

Scent branding is becoming just as prevalent in retail. Researchers believe that ambient scenting allows consumers to make a deeper brand connection, and data has led many other non-scent-related companies to join the fray. Recently, Gaurin helped create a fragrance for Samsung’s stores, which has been cited throughout the industry as a milestone in scent as design. He claims the research showed that not only did customers spend an average of 20 to 30 percent more time mingling among the electronics, but they also identified the scent—and by extension, the brand—with characteristics such as innovation and excellence. Credit Suisse, De Beers, and Sony have all been experimenting with ambient scenting in their retail spaces, too.

And starting this fall, you can even get a master’s degree in scent design at Parsons New School for Design in New York. As part of a “Scent as Design” seminar, organizers enlisted luminaries from various fields to collaborate with fragrance experts.