The view of what is scarce

FORECAST: Old hierarchical levels will soon no longer exist - Social competence more important than ever

Health and economic success are closely intertwined. Not only for individuals, but also in companies and the economy as a whole. German business journalist Erik Händeler is driven by the question of how to best utilize and protect the resource of health. "WIKU": "The History of the Future" is your topic at the Knowledge Forum: Do you have a crystal ball? Erik Händeler: Scarcity forces us to do things differently. When transportation hindered further growth, the railway had to be built; when knowledge increased significantly and could no longer be managed with index cards, the computer had to be developed and used. Of course, the future is open because we do not know how people will decide in their freedom. But looking at what is scarce today shows us where changes are needed. "WIKU": What is the scarcest resource today - Energy? Händeler: If you ask a medium-sized entrepreneur what his biggest problem is, he will talk about personnel issues, poor cooperation, and rising labor costs. Behind this are the costs of the lack of health, which manifests in early retirement, care, disease repair, and unemployment expenses. The more expensive education becomes, the longer it has to pay off, so we have to work longer, not only due to the shortage of skilled workers and longer lifespans. "WIKU": You say: Work less to be able to work longer. How can this be implemented? Händeler: By eventually working fewer hours, taking on tasks two hierarchical levels lower, and slowly fading out of professional life instead of stopping abruptly from one day to the next. Retirement is highly toxic. "WIKU": Most jobs have become more efficient due to technological advancement, the burden of physical work has decreased. In agriculture, for example, there are machines for many tasks that used to involve heavy physical strain. Can this be applied to knowledge work as well? Händeler: Yes. Other speakers are currently spreading fear by saying that 40 percent of jobs will be lost due to digitization. The historical truth, however, is that precisely because machines made us more productive, there were more profitable jobs, resources were freed up to be used for new things. We have the same effect with computers and the internet, and it is not new but has been evolving for 30 years. "WIKU": How could knowledge work be made more efficient? Händeler: The more complex everything becomes, the more we rely on the knowledge of others. The clerical worker or specialist knows much more than the boss. It is about striving for the better solution, not starting from one's own cost center, but from the overall benefit. Status and power struggles ensue. The old-school boss is disempowered. Their task is to manage and moderate the flow of information, but ultimately also to make the decision. "WIKU": Are flatter hierarchies the solution? Händeler: They must be permeable, information must not be prevented by top dogs, the better argument must prevail - not the relationship or status. This requires much more confrontation than before, and thus the culture of debate becomes the economic factor that determines competition. But clear accountability is still needed. "WIKU": You say: The world is getting better, as it has always been getting better. Is that too optimistic in the face of all the crises we are currently experiencing - from the financial crisis to the refugee and resource crises? Händeler: At what other time would you have preferred to live, or go to the dentist? By "better," I don't just mean materially: in the past, people were determined by others, could hardly decide for themselves. Now we have to take responsibility in the working world, strive for the better solution with others, decide. This leads to the fact that we also have to reflect more ethically, for economic reasons: 3mediocre individuals who collaborate well are significantly more productive than the super crack who fails to bring together the results of division of labor. For the profile of Top100 Speaker Erik Händeler: https://www.speakers-excellence.de/redner/erik-haendeler-zukunftsforscher.html You might also be interested:https://www.speakers-excellence.de/se/blog/haendeler-zusammenarbeit/