As a 21
st-century worker, you'll need flexibility and creativity to survive in a workplace that is constantly changing and advancing. What worked in the 1900s will not work in the 2000s, and the workforce in 5, 10, or 20 years will undoubtedly be very different from what it is now. Notice how workers of the past (Industrial Age workers) compare to workers of today (Information Age workers).
Industrial Age Workers
Depend on supervisor
Listen
Follow orders
Compete (personal power)
Product-oriented (factory)
Follow routines (security)
Boss-oriented
Highly defined job
Information filters from management
Rule-bound; slow
"Tell me what to do"
Resistant to change
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Information Age Workers
Personal responsibility; shared leadership
Communicate
Make decisions; solve problems
Cooperate (shared goals)
Process- or people-oriented (global)
Innovative (risk-taking)
Team-oriented
Project-based assignments
Info. received directly, frequently, online
Flexible; responsive
"Here's what I can do"
Constantly learning
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Experts say the world is changing much more quickly now than in the past. Think about a potential career you might be interested in now. What changes do you think that person will have to deal with to adapt to their workplace? How do you think this may be different, say, 50 years from now?
