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WPP assembled a customized team to handle everything from the naming of the new
company…Genworth…all the way down to its first advertising campaign and
direct…marketing program。 〃As a leader withinthis organization；〃 said Adamson； 〃what
you have to do is figure out the value proposition that is needed for each client
and then identify and assemble the individual talents within WPP's workforce that
will in effect form a virtual company just for that client。 In the case of GE； we
even gave a name to the virtual collaborative team we formed： Klamath Communications。〃
When the world went flat； WPP adapted itself to get the most out of itself。 It changed
its office architecture and practices； just like those companies that adjusted their
steam…run factories to the electric motor。 But
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WPP not only got rid of all its walls； it got rid of all its floors。 It looked at
all its employees from all its companies as a vast pool of individual specialists
who could be assembled horizontally into collaborative teams； depending on the unique
demands of any given project。 And that team would then become a de facto new company
with its own name。
It will take time for this new playing field and the new business practices to be
fully aligned。 It's a work in progress。 But here's a little warning。 It is happening
much faster than you think； and it is happening globally。
Remember； this was a triple convergence！
Convergence III
How so？ Just as we finished creating this new； more horizontal playing field； and
companies and individuals primarily in the West started quickly adapting to it； 3
billion people who had been frozen out of the field suddenly found themselves
liberated to plug and play with everybody else。
Save for a tiny minority； these 3 billion people had never been allowed to compete
and collaborate before； because they lived in largely closed economies with very
vertical； hierarchical political and economic structures。 I am talking about the
people ofChina； India；Russia； Eastern Europe；Latin America； and Central Asia。 Their
economies and political systems all opened up during the course of the 1990s； so that
their people were increasingly free to join the free…market game。 And when did these
3 billion people converge with the new playing field and the new processes？ Right
when the field was being flattened； right when millions of them could compete and
collaborate more equally； more horizontally； and with cheaper and more readily
available tools than ever before。 Indeed； thanks to the flattening of the world； many
of these new entrants didn't even have to leave home to participate。 Thanks to the
ten flatten…ers； the playing field came to them！
It is this triple convergence…of new players； on a new playing field； developing new
processes and habits for horizontal collaboration … that I be182
lieve is the most important force shaping global economics and politics in the early
twenty…first century。 Giving so many people access to all these tools of collaboration；
along with the ability through search engines and the Web to access billions of pages
of raw information； ensures that the next generation of innovations will come from
all over Planet Flat。 The scale of the global community that is soon going to be able
to participate in all sorts of discovery and innovation is something the world has
simply never seen before。
Throughout the Cold War there were just three major trading blocs…North America；
Western Europe； and Japan plus East Asia…and the competition among the three was
relatively controlled； since they were all Cold War allies on the same side of the
great global divide。 There were also still a lot of walls around for labor and
industries to hide behind。 The wage rates in these three trading blocs were roughly
the same； the workforces roughly the same size； and the education levels roughly
equivalent。 〃You had a gentlemanly competition；〃 noted Intel's Chairman Craig
Barrett。
Then along came the triple convergence。 The Berlin Wall came down； the Berlin mall
opened up； and suddenly some 3 billion people who had been behind walls walked onto
the flattened global piazza。
Here's what happened in round numbers： According to a November 2004 study by Harvard
University economist Richard B。 Freeman； in 1985 〃the global economic world〃
comprised North America； Western Europe； Japan； as well as chunks of Latin America；
Africa； and the countries of East Asia。 The total population of this global economic
world； taking part in international trade and commerce； said Freeman； was about 2。5
billion people。
By 2000； as a result of the collapse of communism in the Soviet Empire； India's turn
from autarky； China's shift to market capitalism； and population growth all over；
the global economic world expanded to encompass 6 billion people。
As a result of this widening； another roughly 1。5 billion new workers entered the
global economic labor force； Freeman said； which is almost exactly double the number
we would have had in 2000 had China； India； and the Soviet Empire not joined。
True； maybe only 10 percent of this new 1。5 billion…strong workforce entering the
global economy have the education and connectivity to collaborate and compete at a
meaningful level。 But that is still 150 million people； roughly the size of the entire
U。S。 workforce。 Said Barrett； 〃You don't bring three billion people into the world
economy overnight without huge consequences； especially from three societies ＇like
India； China； and Russia＇ with rich educational heritages。〃
That is exactly right。 And a lot of those new workers are not just walking onto the
playing field。 No； this is no slow…motion triple convergence。 They are jogging and
even sprinting there。 Because once the world has been flattened and the new forms
of collaboration made available to more and more people； the winners will be those
who learn the habits； processes； and skills most quickly…and there is simply nothing
that guarantees it will be Americans or Western Europeans permanently leading the
way。 And be advised； these new players are stepping onto the playing field legacy
free； meaning that many of them were so far behind they can leap right into the new
technologies without having to worry about all the sunken costs of old systems。 It
means that they can move very fast to adopt new； state…of…the…art technologies； which
is why there are already more cell phones in use in China today than there are people
in the United States。 Many Chinese just skipped over the landline phase。 South Koreans
put Americans to shame in terms of Internet usage and broadband penetration。
We tend to think of global trade and economics as something driven by the IMF； the
G…8； the World Bank； the WTO； and the trade treaties forged by trade ministers。 I
don't want to suggest that these governmental agencies are irrelevant。 They are not。
But they are going to become less important。 In the future globalization is going
to be increasingly driven by the individuals who understand the flat world； adapt
themselves quickly to its processes and t