Processes can be combined, performed by fewer people, eliminating whole levels of structure, permanently. This has contributed to the decline of middle management and entry level opportunities. In sum, technology is a tool that permits the redesigned workplace to function, often with fewer people. Global competition is more immediate and pressing as the distance for conducting business is functionally reduced. A Japanese competitor can respond to a U.S. market factor nearly as quickly as the U.S. company.
Information is the key, and technology levels the playing field to an increasing extent.
Further, this change is calling for a change in the skills and attitudes of the future worker. Evidence suggests that increasingly, the student profile of today is markedly different than the student of 25 years ago. Colleges and universities, under enrollment pressures in recent years, have lowered entrance standards for incoming students, thereby magnifying the gap between the traditional educational approaches and student needs. SAT scores suggest that increasing numbers of students enter college at a readiness level far below what was historically acceptable. Another issue, diversity, is more than just an issue for business, presenting additional questions with regard to curriculum, instructional methodologies, and outcomes.