Society is rethinking the kinds of bonds and boundaries that will define human relations in the coming century. This doesn't mean the concept of property will disappear in what is becoming known as the Age of Access. Yet property is far less likely to be exchanged in markets. Instead, those who do own property increasingly will hold on to it and lease, rent or charge an admission fee, subscription or membership dues for its short-term use. Markets will remain but play an increasingly diminished role in human affairs.
Some businesses already are well along the way toward the transition from ownership to access.
Many companies, for example, no longer think of purchasing capital equipment but rather borrow what they need in the form of a lease. Being stuck with outdated plants, obsolete equipment and antiquated business systems and processes is a prescription for failure. The new thinking in the business community is, when in doubt, farm it out. Intellectual capital, on the other hand, is the driving force of the new era. What is really being bought and sold today are ideas and images.