Yearning for the 20th Century

While I don’t know how to tie this in with an actual lesson in my classroom, I did read something this morning that caught my attention because it concerns issues we have been reading about in Amy’s class. In an article on Slate.com today, Daniel Gross wrote about how America, once seen as a role model for business, management, and finance, is currently being viewed in a less than favorable global light.

As I read, I could not help but wonder if the issues Gross raises are a result of our educational model not meeting the needs of a new marketplace. He writes:

The United States invented the concept and practice of running large, complex systems. Henry Ford's revolutionary assembly line was the gold standard in global manufacturing for decades. Contemporary American institutions stand for excellence in managing everything from supply chains (Wal-Mart) to delivery services (Federal Express and UPS).

Americans' ability to manage complex systems has been the ultimate competitive advantage. It has allowed the United States to enjoy high growth and low inflation—a record we haven't hesitated to lord over our foreign friends.

[Now,] Americans abroad are constantly taunted by perceived failings of American management. Doubtful of the ability of provincial American executives, with their limited language skills, to negotiate today's global business environment, the boards of massive U.S. firms like Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, Alcoa, and insurer AIG have hired foreign-born CEOs. On a recent 60 Minutes, Carl Icahn complained to Lesley Stahl about the incompetence of American management. "I see our country going off a cliff, and I feel bad about it."

Are we stuck in the industrial model that once brought us glory, and are unwilling to accept a technological model that will leave use woefully behind the rest of the world? It was one of those things that put the importance of media literacy to the fore for me. Again.