The Most Appealing Ideas Expressed by the Author
In his book A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink focuses on a discussion of one of the major changes in the modern society that have occurred under the influence of such professes as industrialization and the rapid development of technologies. To be more precise, discussing the degree to which this shift impacted ordinary people, the author emphasizes a certain change in values in terms of talents and skills.
According to the author’s idea, due to the heavy presence of technologies, as well as the overall orientation towards technological progress and innovation in most workplaces, the so-called “right-brainers” are the most valuable human resources today. In this regard, right-brainers are the people whose mentality and ways of thinking and cognition are based on creativity, inventiveness, artistic qualities, the need for unique ways of self-expression, and the ability to see the bigger picture and envision the desired change.
In particular, in the introductory section of his book, Pink specifies that computer programmers, MBAs, and lawyers have been the most successful and valuable professionals over the last several decades. However, according to the author, the time of their success is coming to an end, and soon they would be replaced by people with completely different kinds of minds.
As explained by the author, crunching numbers, cranking computer codes, and crafting contracts are very mechanical tasks that are suitable for mathematicians who are used to working in fixed conditions and following a precise set of rules. The author emphasizes that the new generation of successful and valuable minds will be different. Specifically, creative and artistic individuals will become more wanted in the flexible business and workplace environments that are about to spread throughout various industries.
The Implications of the Ideas in the Book for Me as an Educator
This book was written as an informative resource for business professionals and leaders who are building their careers these days. However, reading this book from the perspective of an educator, I was able to gain some valuable insights for my profession as well. For example, I approached the ideas in this book as pieces of advice concerning the needs of future professionals, as well as the environments in which they would have to fit in order to stay relevant.
In particular, Pink’s idea that creative and flexible minds will be more wanted implies that modern school teachers have to focus on the provision of the appropriate skill sets for their students. To be more precise, creative problem-solving, free and unlimited self-expression, advanced information delivery, public speaking, and writing maybe some of the most important domains and skills that need to be taught in contemporary schools starting from a very early age. In turn, this idea means that the old-fashioned model of teaching where the students’ roles were based mainly on memorizing the information from textbooks and learning lectures by heart.
From the practical point of view, the ideas presented in the book by Pink imply that teachers need to get used to giving more freedom to their students so they could engage in autonomous and independent work, learn how to collaborate and cooperate with their peers, and how to overcome difficulties using a creative approach. Of course, children still need to be guided and their work – supervised by adults; however, the ways in which their instruction and tasks are presented and formulated need to be changed in order to create more space for individuality and creativity.
The Ideas That I Challenge
I agree with some of the ideas expressed by the author in this book. The social change inflicted by such processes as industrialization, the development of technologies, and globalization is obvious. The contemporary societies of the developed countries are transforming into a more diverse and free-spirited community comprised of multiple groups differing based on their background and a multitude of other factors.
In terms of employment, businesses are going to hire the types of candidates who are able to meet the emerging needs and trends in their industries. As a result, it is logical that the new generation of workers may face an environment that is very dissimilar to the ones in which their parents and grandparents used to work. The same tendency would be true for the skills required in the new types of workplaces.
However, I disagree with the idea that the people who have been considered as highly valuable workers over the last couple of decades are inflexible. The duties of computer programmers, MBAs, lawyers, and accountants involve a significant portion of creative tasks and issues that require clever and unique approaches. Reading this book, I got the idea that the author had very little knowledge about those professions and the responsibilities and skills they required. In that way, I would like to challenge that the professions that used to be recognized as the most prestigious will lose their popularity. I believe that it is not about the kinds of jobs that will be more and less relevant in the future but about the kinds of people who will fill these jobs.