An irreversible change

Whenever the current economic crisis comes to an end, we shall live in and face a different world where many things will have changed. New regulations will have been introduced, corporate and public sector organisations will have reacted, and global economic power will continue to shift.

To many analysts, these changes are the results of well understood cycles of economic boom and bust; of the rise and fall of political powers. However,while cycles can be understood at the macro level, at the micro level it is a different matter altogether. Most corporations and governments failed to call the crunch. And even those that suspected it were still engulfed by it.

At the same time as this current economic cycle is working its way through,the internet and web have created a one-time, systemic shift which has changed the global power game. This shift is calling into question the very nature of organisations as we know them.

If the first half of the 20th century was characterised by society vesting power in its governments, and the second half by the power shift away from government toward big corporations, the 21st century is being characterised by a shift of power to the people.

Around half the world’s people will imminently be connected via the Internet and the pace of connectivity is rising exponentially. If Michel Foucault, French philosopher and socialist, is right that knowledge equals power, then the Internet is the ultimate power distributor. This is the new norm. While it is difficult to call a point in a cycle, it is possible, in fact essential,to understand the system within which the cycles operate. This paper explores some of the key facets of the new norm – the new system of power within which economies and society exist. It presents a set of emerging leadership techniques critical to embrace it, and five new questions to help re-frame organisational strategy and take new action.

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