I wrote a blog recently on how the quality profession is disappearing or is morphing to risk management.
Well, mechanical engineering is also morphing.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME.org) is the professional society for mechanical engineers. It’s tag line is now:
“ASME (founded as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers) promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe.” Continue reading
Most associations and organizations are becoming or are going the way of moose lodges. This is the biggest challenge to all organizations over the next 20 years. So, what is mooselodgism?
Moose, Elks, Masons, Daughters of American Revolution (DAR) and other service organizations were prevalent for hundreds of years. They were staple and anchored the social service activities in many communities. But, they have largely disappeared. Why? They couldn’t adapt to technology and couldn’t change to meet new requirements.
We’re seeing this now in most organizations and assocations. Think of the organization or association you belong to? How many folks attend a meeting? What is the demographic of the folks who attend? How are decisions being made or not made? How diverse is the population who attends meetings? How does the organization use technology to manage itself?
Don’t think Mooselodgism applies to you or to the US? What’s the most prominent organization in the world? US Congress. They US has a $1000 billion deficit. Congress can’t make a decision and solve this problem that impacts all of us. Go figure if Mooselodgism is real or not?
Most Fortune 500, OK even Fortune 2000 companies, are not US companies. They may have been founded and incubated in the US. Their founders were or are US citizens. The technology may have come from the US government. However, many and soon most will be global organizations.
These global companies focus on making money for their shareholders. They make money where there is demand for their goods and services. They may have started in the US, but now are global. There are many implications to this, that is causing denial, disbelief, misunderstanding, and social unrest.
These global companies are offshoring core processes and outsourcing their intellectual property to economies where there is demand and revenue.
The implication of the above is that jobs are moving to where there is demand for their products and services.
These companies are not loyal to local communities or constituencies. Local communities in the US that incubated these companies are often in disbelief. They feel these home grown companies owe the community taxes, employment, and support of its citizens. It’s not working out this way.
This is a huge problem. It’s a revelation to the 99 percenters. It’s known and accepted by the 1 percenters. The 1 percenters know and accept that we live in a global economy that both Democrats and Republicans endorsed in the free trade mantra all boats and economies will rise. Unfortunately, the opposite happened. Much of the world prospered. We’ve largely stagnated.
“Ag, food, and risk management” are the future of Cargill according to the President of Cargill, the global agricultural company.
Fortune Magazine brought environmentalists and corporate folks together at the Brainstorm Green Conference last week. It was’t a love fest from these traditional adversaries, but there seemed to be a new understanding and even agreement about the reality of the future of the environment.
They’ve seen the future and it is risk based. The planet now has 7 billion people and 3 more billion are expected within a few generations. How are they going to be fed?
Huge question. No easy answer. However, it’s bringing the mega corporations and environmentalists together with a huge concern to find common solutions. The environmental community calls the solution: ‘sustainable intensification.’ The corporate agricultural community has a huge challenge – how to double agricultural production with existing acreage.
With huge challenges, the solution is now risk based collaboration even with traditional adversaries.
For more information, visit the article:
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/04/18/greg-page-mark-tercek-transcript/
“Have you read a book recently?” “And, let’s talk about it?”
This may be the most important question that you may have in a job interview. Interviewers want to know that you can add real and immediate value to their organization. They want to know that you’ve kept current with what’s going on in your profession and with technology
For example, you may have gotten an engineering degree 8 years ago. But, the amount of knowledge in your engineering discipline may have doubled and even tripled over the last 8 years. Did you keep current in your discipline? How did you keep current? School? Certifications?
Maybe, that’s why I’m seeing a lot more folks at Barnes & Noble