As I have indicated elsewhere, I believe that an important new profession of the future will be that of 'value designer'. Competence is not going to be enough. All organisations will move towrds competence - some more rapidly than others. But there is nothing you can do, short of Sabotage, to prevent a competitior becoming as competent as yourselves.
Information is a commodity. At a price anyone can get almost any information that is needed. Technology has made this possible with both search and transfer excellence.
State of the art technology can be commissioned or bought. Outside a few fields such as pharmaceuticals, technology is not going to be the descriminator. Technology itself can only supply limited value: faster or nore powerful - but for what? If you have a very powerful megaphone that does not mean what you say has more value than what you just shouted. The emphasis on technology has largely ignored the importance of value creation. Technologists are not necessarily in the best position to design value because they are impelled by the next step in technology.
So 'value design' is going to be a key ingredient in business. As a skill this is not the same as the usual skills of problem solving and standard reactions to standard situations. The skill demands creativity, value sensitivity and concept handling.
I have in mind to create an on-line course in value design if there is sufficient interest.
Edward de Bono nmt
24th June 2001
Little Green Island, Mackay
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