Such trends as expanding global freedom, declining ethics, greater international competition, progressively greater percentages of oil being imported, and increasing ideological polarization have intersected to create an impacting train wreck that will be experienced around the world.

Will this create structural change? (Please refer to my blog of 9-2-08 for a definition of structural change). I believe it will. What I am observing from this phenomenon is that Americans are demanding more accountability and responsibility from their leaders representing both governmental and private organizations. Perhaps there are record numbers of people engaged in the political process who are demanding transparency from these leaders. People are moving from apathy to involvement. It is refreshing to see democracy at work and to witness the engrossment of citizens in the happenings of our country. They are demanding accountability in government, business, religion, and nonprofit organizations.

Yes, we are having a train wreck. It is still occurring. However, at some point, the wreckage must be fixed and the tracks repaired. As a country, we will do that, and, in so doing, many countertrends will emerge. Over time, this condition will be a part of history. But something bigger is happening. People are becoming involved. They are demanding empowerment. They are insisting on leadership transparency. This is the major structural change that is occurring.

However, great responsibiity is required of empowered people. They must be informed about the issues. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills are essential in order to objectively assess circumstances and exercise sound judgment. I question that large numbers of people possess the skills and readiness to tackle this new assignment. Hopefully, more emphasis will be placed on these skills in our schools from pre-kindergarten through university level in order to equip our people with the wisdom required of empowerment.

Of course, in governmental affairs, there is always the fact that the general public deals in incomplete information due to security reasons. The questions become: Can good decisions be made without all the facts? Is having all the facts “go public” healthy for national security? Herein exists the dilemma. It stands to reason, then, in our republic, that somewhere along the way, we must trust our elected representatives who should have complete information at their fingertips. It, then, becomes the responsibility of the voters to elect trustworthy officials.

Yes, the United States and the world are living in uncertain, chaotic times. This is nothing new. With all of us working together and exercising wise choices, we can use this structural change as a pivot point for both national and global improvement.

Fast-forward to the 1980s. The PC became a reality. And today, schools have laptops for learners, and homes have multiple laptops and desktop units per family (plus all kinds of other communication tools). Technological gadgets are converging at a rapid rate. For example, TVs, cameras, and telephones are being combined into one device with much more convergence to come. Technology is much more prolific than could have been imagined 40 years ago. Computers and other communication devices have been miniaturized thanks to the progressive complexity of the microchip. The world of computers has structurally changed, and because of that, life has never been the same.

Watching this phenomenon happen was an enlightening experience for me. I saw firsthand what I had always read and instinctively known: Dream the dream without limitations. Plant the idea. Then there is a likelihood that innovators will invent the tools to make the dream come true. Rather than look at the “what is” of today and see the impossibilities, think innovatively about “what could be” tomorrow and see the possibilities.

One of the trends occurring in the 21st century is that structural changes are accelerating. When structural change happens, things will never again be as they were. A physical example is the occurrence of an earthquake. After an earthquake changes the physical structure of the earth, the earth can never be put back exactly as it was. A structural change in technology was triggered by the progressive improvement of the microchip. Another structural change happened when the Internet was introduced for public use. After those and many other technological structural changes, life has never been the same.

Since the beginning of time, structural changes have occurred in many categories, but much more slowly than in today’s warp-speed environment. In those slower periods between structural changes, leaders had time to gain experience, study cycles, and offer viable solutions to recurring problems. That experience could be used again and again as similar problems and circumstances were encountered. However, when the world heads off in a new direction due to a structural change; and leaders are still anticipating that progress is moving forward in a straight line from the present, they miss the new path. They are racing forward but are on the wrong road. Many leaders are trying to resolve today’s problems with yesterday’s solutions and wondering why the solutions aren’t working.

To lead effectively in today’s environment requires that leaders “get it.” They must anticipate structural changes that might occur and create ways to handle the new problems differently. This requires keen thinking skills. The emergence of Honda’s serious competitiveness on U.S. soil in the 1970s, the collapse of oil prices in the mid-1980s, acceptance of the Internet for public use in the early 1990s, the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, the terrorist events on September 11, 2001, and the rapid escalation of oil prices in 2008 are all examples of triggers for structural changes forever changing the U.S. socioeconomic climate. Dealing with such changes requires backward analysis for lessons learned from the past and forward thinking for future problem solution. And leaders today are responsible for acquiring and applying these critical skills.

There will be more on this topic in a later blog. But, for now, I want to emphasize that (1) structural changes are occurring at a rapid rate; and (2) leaders of all organizations must be prepared to make critical decisions on issues which they have never encountered before. The future is no longer a continuation of the present.

Copyright 2008, Carolyn Corbin. All rights reserved.