EDWARD DE BONO'S MESSAGE
11th May 1997

More on 'New Professions'

The unfortunate collapse of the MSN network has meant that several people might have tried to send their suggestions for 'new professions' and been unable to do so. I am therefore extending the deadline to June 1st.

Of course, on any matter put forward here Team members, and others, can continue to send in suggestions even after the formal closing date. For example, Bontos are still being sent in and I am delighted that this is happening (more published today).

There are times when creativity is involved in changing a framework - and there are times when creativity means working within an existing framework. The tight structure of the Bonto is very important - otherwise it loses its purpose and becomes just another quatrain.

There was a time when the 'charcoal maker' was an established profession. There are still places where the 'letter writer' sits in the market and writes effusive love letters for less articulate lovers. There may be a need to revive the letter wrting profession. Would any Team members or visitors like to take that up as a profession? Modern technology would make it very easy.

Some professions will evolve slowly and cannot be hurried. Others need a design input What different needs and values can be put together to create a formal profession?

Perhaps there should be a 'meetings' person who you rented and briefed to go to meetings on your account. Perhaps there could be a 'district shopper' who did all the shopping for a group of households. Perhaps there could be a 'television tester' who watched and compacted on to a tape what specific viewers ordered.

There is a slight distintion between 'work', a 'job' and a 'profession'. A profession implies a set of skills that can be used in most communities. There may be a formal way of acquiring such skills.

So my question is not: what will people be doing at work in the future? The question is: what new professions will emerge as such?

Major modifications in existing professions would be acceptable - but they must be major. There is also an implication of income earning. There are many things which people should do and would like to do but which would not earn them a living.

I have not yet seen the inputs but I have been told they are very good. If this is indeed the case then I might try to have these published as a book. Contributors would retain full copyright and could decide whether or not they wished to have their ideas published in that way. Royalties and advance royaltis would be shared out directly in proportion to the used length of a contribution with 25% going to the administration (not me) of the work. This suggestion depends entirely on the quality of the suggestions.

So continue to send in suggestions. There may be new professions that are obviously needed (a professional listener?) and other which would provide great value if properly designed. Always keep in mind that someone must be willing to pay for the values and services.

I regret that it is not always easy for me to reply to specific e-mail requests but I hope to catch up from time to time.

Edward de Bono
9rd May 1997
Venice

(An architect is a "living space" designer. In the future we shall need a totally new profession called a "work/value designer". At the moment we leave it to entrepreneurs to design work and so provide employment. Big companies are downsizing. Government budgets do not permit expanded work forces. Domestic service is no longer an option. So job creation comes from the work design of entrepreneurs.

An entrepreneur has to have motivation, courage, risk taking, energy, people management, financial management etc. There are some people who would be able to design businesses but have not the ability or dedication to run them. Such a "work design" profession would show that value could be created if A was put together with B with C as an option. Just as an architect designs a house so the work or value designer would create value which people would be willing to pay for. Other people would then pick up and run with the design. A good work designer might design 50 businesses a year.)