the.world.is.flat-第74部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


but　also　their　intangibles。　China　does　not　just　want　to　get　rich。　It　wants　to　get　
powerful。　China　doesn't　just　want　to　learn　how　to　make　GM　cars。　It　wants　to　be　GM　
and　put　GM　out　of　business。　Anyone　who　doubts　that　should　spend　time　with　young　
Chinese。　
Said　Luis　Rubio；　president　of　Mexico's　Center　of　Research　for　Development；　〃The　more　
self…confidence　you　have；　the　more　it　diminishes　your　mythologies　and　complexes。　One　
of　the　great　things　about　Mexico　in　the　early　1990s　was　that　Mexicans　saw　that　they　
could　do　it；　they　could　make　it。〃　A　lot　of　that　self…confidence；　though；　has　been　
lost　in　Mexico　in　recent　years；　because　the　government　stopped　reforming。　〃A　lack　
of　self…confidence　leads　a　country　to　keep　chewing　on　the　past；〃　added　Rubio。　〃A　lack　
of　self…confidence　＇in　Mexico＇　means　that　everyone　in　the　country　thinks　the　U。S。　
is　going　to　take　Mexico　to　the　cleaners。〃　That　is　why　NAFTA　was　so　important　for　
Mexico's　self…confidence。　〃What　NAFTA　accomplished　was　to　get　Mexicans　to　think　
forward　and　outward　instead　of　inward　and　backward。　＇But＇　NAFTA　was　seen　＇by　its　
architects＇　as　an　end　more　than　a　beginning。　It　was　seen　as　the　conclusion　of　a　process　
of　political　and　economic　reforms。〃　Unfortunately；　he　added；　〃Mexico　did　not　have　
a　strategy　for　going　forward。〃　
Will　Rogers　said　it　a　long　time　ago：　〃Even　if　you're　on　the　right　track；　you'll　get　


run　over　if　you　just　sit　there。〃　The　flatter　the　world　gets；　the　faster　that　will　
happen。　Mexico　got　itself　on　the　right　track　with　reform　wholesale；　but　then；　for　
a　lot　of　tangible　and　intangible　reasons；　it　just　sat　there　and　reform　retail　stalled。　
The　more　Mexico　just　sits　there；　the　more　it　is　going　to　get　run　over。　And　it　won't　
be　alone。　

Companies　and　the　Flat　World　

：：：：：　TEN　

How　Companies　Cope　
Out　of　clutter；　find　simplicity。　From　discord；　find　harmony。　In　the　middle　of　
difficulty；　lies　opportunity。　…Albert　Einstein　
As　I　conducted　interviews　for　this　book；　I　kept　hearing　the　same　phrase　from　different　
business　executives。　It　was　strange；　they　all　used　it；　as　if　they　had　all　been　talking　
to　each　other。　The　phrase　was；　〃Just　in　the　last　couple　of　years。　。　。〃　Time　and　again；　
entrepreneurs　and　innovators　from　all　different　types　of　businesses；　large　and　small；　
told　me　that　〃just　in　the　last　couple　of　years〃　they　had　been　able　to　do　things　they　
had　never　dreamed　possible　before；　or　that　they　were　being　forced　to　do　things　they　
had　never　dreamed　necessary　before。　
I　am　convinced　that　these　entrepreneurs　and　CEOs　were　responding　to　the　triple　
convergence。　Each　was　figuring　out　a　strategy　for　his　or　her　company　to　thrive　or　
at　least　survive　in　this　new　environment。　Just　as　individuals　need　a　strategy　for　
coping　with　the　flattening　of　the　world；　so　too　do　companies。　My　economics　tutor　Paul　
Romer　is　fond　of　saying；　〃Everyone　wants　economic　growth；　but　nobody　wants　change。〃　
Unfortunately；　you　cannot　have　one　without　the　other；　especially　when　the　playing　
field　shifts　as　dramatically　as　it　has　since　the　year　2000。　If　you　want　to　grow　and　
flourish　in　a　flat　world；　you　better　learn　how　to　change　and　align　yourself　with　it。　

I　am　not　a　business　writer　and　this　is　not　a　how…to…succeed…in…business　book。　What　
I　have　learned　in　researching　this　book；　though；　is　that　the　companies　that　have　
managed　to　flourish　today　are　the　ones　that　best　understand　the　triple　convergence　
and　have　developed　their　own　strategies　for　coping　with　it…as　opposed　to　trying　to　
resist　it。　
This　chapter　is　an　effort　to　highlight　a　few　of　their　rules　and　strategies：　
Rule　#1：　When　the　world　goes　flat…and　you　are　feeling　flattened…　reach　for　a　shovel　
and　dig　inside　yourself。　Don't　try　to　build　walls。　
I　learned　this　valuable　lesson　from　my　bestfriends　from　Minnesota；　Jill　and　Ken　Greer。　
Going　to　India　gave　me　an　inkling　that　the　world　was　flat；　but　only　when　I　went　back　
to　my　roots　and　spoke　to　my　friends　from　Minnesota　did　I　realize　just　how　flat。　Some　
twenty…five　years　ago　Jill　and　Ken　（whose　brother　Bill　I　profiled　earlier）　started　
their　own　multimedia　company；　Greer　&　Associates；　which　specialized　in　developing　
commercials　for　TV　and　doing　commercial　photography　for　retail　catalogs。　They　have　
built　up　a　nice　business　in　Minneapolis；　with　more　than　forty　employees；　including　


graphic　artists　and　Web　designers；　their　own　studio；　and　a　small　stable　of　local　and　
national　clients。　As　a　midsize　firm；　Greer　always　had　to　hustle　for　work；　but　over　
the　years　Ken　always　found　a　way　to　make　a　good　living。　
In　early　April　2004；　Ken　and　Jill　came　to　Washington　to　spend　a　weekend　for　my　wife's　
fiftieth　birthday。　I　could　tell　that　Ken　had　a　lot　on　his　mind　regarding　his　business。　
We　took　a　long　walk　one　morning　in　rural　Virginia。　I　told　him　about　the　book　I　was　
writing；　and　he　told　me　about　how　his　business　was　doing。　After　a　while；　we　realized　
that　we　were　both　talking　about　the　same　thing：　The　world　had　grown　flat；　and　it　had　
happened　so　fast；　and　had　affected　his　business　so　profoundly；　that　he　was　still　
wrestling　with　how　to　adjust。　It　was　clear　to　him　that　he　was　facing　competition　and　
pricing　pressure　of　a　type　and　degree　that　he　had　never　faced　before。　
〃Freelancers；〃　said　Greer；　speaking　about　these　independent　contractors　as　if　they　
were　a　plague　of　locusts　that　suddenly　had　descended　on　his　business；　eating　
everything　in　sight。　〃We　are　now　competing　

against　freelancers！　We　never　really　competed　against　freelancers　before。　Our　
competition　used　to　be　firms　of　similar　size　and　capability。　We　used　to　do　similar　
things　in　somewhat　different　ways；　and　each　firm　was　able　to　find　a　niche　and　make　
a　living。〃　Today　the　dynamic　is　totally　different；　he　said。　〃Our　competition　is　not　
only　those　firms　we　always　used　to　compete　against。　Now　we　have　to　deal　with　giant　
firms；　who　have　the　capability　to　handle　small；　medium；　and　large　jobs；　and　also　with　
the　solo　practitioners　working　out　of　theirhome　offices；　who　＇by　making　use　of　today's　
technology　and　software＇　can　theoretically　do　the　same　thing　that　a　person　sitting　
in　our　office　can　do。　What's　the　difference　in　output；　from　our　clients'　point　of　
view；　between　the　giant　company　who　hires　a　kid　designer　and　puts　him　in　front　of　
a　computer；　and　our　company　that　hires　a　kid　designer　and　puts　him　in　front　of　a　
computer；　and　thekid　designer　with　a　computer　inhis　own　basement？　。　。　。　The　technology　
and　software　are　so　empowering　that　it　makes　us　all　look　the　same。　In　the　last　month　
we　have　lost　three　jobs　to　freelance　solo　practitioners　who　used　to　work　for　good　
companies　and　have　experience　and　then　just　went　out　on　their　own。　Our　clients　all　
said　the　same　thing　to　us：　'Your　firm　was　really　qualified。　John　was　very　qualified。　
John　was　cheaper。'　We　used　to　feel　bad　losing　to　another　firm；　but　now　we　are　losing　
to　another　person！〃　
How　did　this　change　happen　so　fast？　I　asked。　
A　big　part　of　their　business　is　photography…shooting　both　products　and　models　for　
catalogs；　Greer　explained。　For　twenty…five　years；　the　way　the　business　worked　was　
that　Greer　&　Associates　would　get　an　assignment。　The　client　would　tell　Greer　exactly　
what　sort　of　shot　he　was　looking　for　and　would　〃trust〃　the　Greer　team　to　come　up　with　
the　right　image。　Like　all　commercial　photographers；　Greer　would　use　a　Polaroid　camera　
to　take　a　picture　of　the　model　or　product　he　was　shooting；　to　see　if　his　creative　
instinct　was　right；　and　then　shoot　with　real　film。　Once　the　pictures　were　taken；　Greer　
would　send　the　film　out　to　aphoto　lab　to　be　developed　and　color…separated。　If　a　picture　
needed　to　be　touched　up；　it　would　be　sent　to　another　lab　that　specialized　in　
retouching。〃Twenty　years　ago；　we　decided　we　would　not　process　the　film　we　shot；〃　Greer　


explained。　〃We　would　leave　that　technical　aspect　to　other　professionals　who　had　the　
exact　technology；　training；　and　expertise…and　
342　
a　desire　to　make　money　that　way。　We　wanted　to　make　money　by　taking　the　pictures。　It　
was　a　good　plan　then；　and　may　be　a　good　plan　today；　but　it　is　no　longer　possible。〃　
Why？　The　world　went　flat；　and　every　analog　process　went　digital；　virtual；　mobile；　
and　personal。　In　the　last　three　years；　digital　cameras　for　professional　photographers　
achieved　a　whole　new　technical　level　that　made　them　equal　to；　if　not　superior　to；　
traditional　film　cameras。　
〃So　we　experimented　with　several　different　cameras　and　chose　the　current　
state…of…the…art　camera　that　was　most　like　our　＇analog＇　film　cameras；〃　Greer　said。　
〃It's　called　a　Canon　Dl；　and　it's　the　same　exact　camera　as　our　film　camera；　except　
there's　a　computer　inside　with　a　little　TV…screen　display　on　the　back　that　shows　us　
what　picture　we're　taking。　But　it　uses　all　the　same　lenses；　you　set　things　the　same　
way；　shutter　speed　and　aperture；　it　has　the　same　ergonomics。　It　was　the　first　
professional　digital　camera　that　worked　exactly　like　a　film　camera。　This　was　a　
defining　moment。　
〃After　we　got　this　digital　camera；　it　was　incredibly　liberating　at　first；〃　said　Greer。　
〃All　of　the　thrill　and　excitement　of　photography　were　there…　except　that　the　film　
was　free。　Because　it　was　digital；　we　didn't　have　to　buy　film　and　we　didn't　have　to　
go　to　the　lab　to　have　it　processed　and　wait　to　get　it　back。　If　we　were　on　location　
and　shooting　something；　we　could　see　if　we　got　the　shot　right　away。　There　was　instant　
gratification。　We　referred　to　it　as　an　'electronic　Polaroid。'　We　used　to　have　an　art　
director　who　would　oversee　everything　to　make　sure　that　we　were　capturing　the　image　
we　were　trying　to　create；　but　we　would　never　really　know　until　we　got　it　developed。　
Everyone　had　to　go　on　faith；　on　trust。　Our　clients　paid　us　a　professional　fee　because　
they　felt　they　needed　an　expert　who　could　not　only　click　a　button；　but　knew　exactly　
how　to　shape　and　frame　the　image。　And　they　trusted　us　to　do　that。〃　
For　a　year　or　so　there　was　this　new　sense　of　empowerment；　freedom；　creativity；　and　
control。　But　then　Ken　and　his　team　discovered　that　this　new　liberating　technology　
could　also　be　enslaving。　〃We　discovered　that　not　only　did　we　now　have　the　
responsibility　of　shooting　the　picture　and　defining　the　desired　artistic　expre