 | Herman Bryant Maynard, Jr., and Mehrtens, Susan E. : The Fourth Wave: Business in the 21st Century, Berret Koehler Publishers, San Francisco, 1996 |
Alvin Toffler wrote about the "Third Wave" in 1980. Now, Herman Bryant Maynard Jr., a consultant in personal and organizational transformation and Susan E. Mehrtens, President of a research organization specializing in the analysis of business trends relating to organization specializing in the analysis of business trends have extended this further.The authors analyse business firmly in the wider perspective of societal changes, and impose on business a more significant and responsible role within them. "Firstly", they write, "(business) is arguably the most powerful institution of our society and the major force affecting world conditions...Second, individual business corporations will survive only if they address individual and societal needs and become more effective in their processes..". In the Western world this could well go unchallenged, but in Asia, this premise may be more controversial. The complex mix of government and business and the acceptance of less democratic forms of organization by employees in Asia both raise questions on the universal application of the premise. The argument often proffered from the West that Asia is just "behind" would negate this problem. However, the style of this book does raise some interesting questions on just how unique or global Asian business is, and therefore how applicable universal analyses like these are to the Asian scene. As we delve further into the volume, an analysis of the seven trends that the authors believe underlie the emergence of a new "worldview" is also thought provoking in this context. These seven trends are 1. Shift in Consciousness 2. Disenchantment with Scientism 3. Inner Sources of Authority and Power 4. Respiritualization of Society 5. Decline of Materialism 6. Political and Economic Democratization, and 7. Beyond Nationality. Again, it could be argued that trends in Asia may indeed be bucking many of these world trends. Finally what do the authors mean by the Fourth Wave? In their own words.. "The First Wave of change, the agricultural revolution, has essentially ended and will not be of concern here. The Second Wave, coincidental with industrialization, has covered much of the Earth and continues to spread, while a new, post-industrial Third Wave is gathering force in the modern industrial nations. The Second Wave is rooted in materialism and the supremacy of man. From this orientation flows a stress on competition, self preservation, and consumption, which has led to such current problems as pollution,solid-waste disposal, crime, family violence, and international terrorism. The Third Wave manifests growing concern for balance and sustainability. As the Third Wave unfolds, we become more sensitive to the issues of conservation, sanctity of life, and co-operation. By the time of the Fourth Wave, integration of all dimensions of life and responsibility for thewhole will have become the central foci of our society. The recognition of the identity of all living systems will give rise to new ways of relating and interacting that nourish both humans and non-humans." What is interesting from our experience is that using this as a framework, Asian business is very much at the Second Wave, not only in the developing countries as the authors state, but also in the Asian "developed" economies like Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. The response to the pleas from Western governments for more sustainable development have been largely ignored by Asian governments, who, quite rightly, feel that they should not shoulder the responsibility for the Western excesses that fuelled their development earlier. The "Asian values" debate, no matter how maligned, underlies that the world-view that these authors are talking may be based on US or Western values than global values. Asian business and governments, buoyed by the success of their tiger economies are, if anything, having reinforced to them that more authoritarian structures are indeed more successful. And they are indeed, if you are looking at a restricted and fairly short term criteria of "success".The remainder of the book is taken up with the implications of these changes on such areas as leadership. "corporate wealth", organizational structure"and the role of business. There is an excellent further reading bibliography at the end and useful tables and graphics serve to clarify the theory. A 20 page "Executive Summary" at the start may also be preferred by many busy executives. The writing style is easy and relaxed, but even though there is adequate citation and presentation of evidence, the feeling of this reviewer was that this volume was more about "should's" than facts. Similarly the "new age" terminology did start to lose this reader towards the end of the volume. Perhaps that is because with the promised coming of the Third Wave still seemingly far distant in Asia, the Fourth Wave is too far ahead to envision clearly. Perhaps it was because Asian business is indeed different fundamentally and not just at an earlier stage of a global phenomenon. Perhaps you should read the book and decide for yourself! Reviewed by Rod Davies
ISBN: 1-57675-002-7
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