They re the crown jewels and they know it. Brain power can't be tallied on a ledger sheet, but it's the prime factor driving the New Economy. More than ever in history, huge value is being leveraged from smart ideas and the winning technology and business models they create. So the people who can deliver them are becoming invaluable, and methods of employing and managing them are being transformed. Theory X my way or the highway management style no longer has much relevance with employees.
Unemployment is at an all-time low.
No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care. It's accelerated by the network. Communication is so easy on the Web, product awareness spreads like wildfire. So once a company reaches critical mass, it can experience increasing returns leading to explosive growth. This principle means that in the New Economy, first-mover advantages are greater than ever.