Comments on: Value polarization and transcending job commoditization: Expertise, Relationships, Innovation

By: Ross Dawson

Ross Dawson — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 11:29:00 +0000

In reply to Anonymous. Thanks Tim it looks interesting. I think luxury is a useful frame for thinking about quite a few different forms of premium value.

By: Ross Dawson

Ross Dawson — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 11:28:00 +0000

In reply to Tom Foale. Thanks for your insights Tom. I don't think it is inevitable that the polarization of wealth will increase, however there are surely strong forces pushing that way that we must comprehend and respond to.

By: Ross Dawson

Ross Dawson — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 11:26:00 +0000

In reply to ericgarland. There is a rich debate here. However it is not just a small fraction of people who can be world-class. In a world of increased specialization many of us can be world-class in a narrow domain. I have very long said that that the polarization of work and opportunity is the biggest issue we must guard against and try to mitigate. The first step is to recognize it as as reality.

By: Tom Foale

Tom Foale — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 15:06:00 +0000

The trend over several hundred years has been to remove labour costs from production – but this has increased the work to be done and its value, not decreased it. Power systems led to the industrial revolution and a shift from 75% of the population working the land to just 2-3% today; the semiconductor led to computing and machines that could take over most manual tasks, including whole factories where the only people are maintenance workers; and the web led to new business models where people costs are taken out by exporting work. This will continue with new innovations that remove labour from production, until eventually all production will be free of labour costs except for creativity, which will be the last thing that could be replaced. Goods will be much more sophisticated and much lower cost than they are even today – much of the goods we currently spend our income on could even be free, because we are not paying anyone to produce them.
I agree that skills are important, but not everyone can be world class. As less income is required to pay for basics the market for design, innovation and craftsmanship will grow rapidly. Most people will earn small amounts from this, but more than enough to buy their additional luxuries. However, I agree that the gap between the richest and poorest will grow – it’s inevitable when there is only a limit to who can be the very best and the scarcest commodity is their time.

By: ericgarland

ericgarland — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 14:48:00 +0000

“Unless your skills are world-class, you are a commodity.” I hear this a lot, and I think, wow, we are headed for major disruption. Can our social contract hold out when we tell 99.8% of people that they are essentially worthless, easily replaceable? How depressing is that? And how long with they hear the this mystical meritocracy is why there are two global classes, one with everything, and the rest with the scraps? Doesn’t this worldview of globalized labor markets turn neighbors into enemies? I cannot see this as a recipe for prosperity or peace. For an economic system to work, it needs to offer positive guiding myths and a concrete hope of stability and prosperity. Otherwise, people will rebel – as they always have.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 14:18:00 +0000

This is indeed a useful framework to gain understanding of the new workplace dynamics. To avoid commoditisation an individual has to find a deep inner core of personal worth and merit without being egotistic. Those values I would contend are a personal luxury that should be nurtured, developed and implemented for each individual in the new world of work.

I say “personal luxury” as I am currently reading “The Luxury Strategy”
JN Kapferer & V Bastein 2nd edition!
https://t.co/sRsnkGNY
They have many ways to express the differences between premium and luxury. I believe their work has utility for getting beyond value polarisation in a personal context and reinterpreting that personal context.