There are bright spots in the work force of the future. I predict that some people will be born so smart that they can change the world without much effort. Motivation won't be an issue for people who are so smart that everything is easy for them. I call it the Redmond effect.

Since the dawn of humankind, there have always been geniuses born to the general population at random intervals. But geniuses have rarely married other geniuses because there were so few and it was unlikely they would meet. Until recently, people married whoever lived nearby and wasn't a relative. And if your cousin's parents were willing to give you a fine-looking goat, you would be flexible on the relative issue too. Not that it mattered, since the demand for geniuses was low. But lately the demand for geniuses is growing exponentially, along with their breeding opportunities, thanks to the technology industry.

Like giant vacuum cleaners, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Intel and companies of their kind have been sucking up the brightest people in the world and shipping them to breeding grounds in places like Redmond, Wash. For the first time in history, large numbers of fertile geniuses are living in the same places. The Redmond offspring won't all be geniuses of course; someone has to marry the beautiful people in marketing. But many of the Redmond kids will be frighteningly smart mutants. There's no telling how far this evolutionary shortcut can go. Each generation of geniuses will be smarter and start working younger. It's possible that the high-tech companies of the future could be managed entirely via inter-fetus telepathy. Some entrepreneurs will cash out their stock options and retire before they are born.

O.K., maybe not. But one thing is certain. The demand for skilled employees — especially technology people — will outstrip the supply for the next hundred years. Managers won't be able to tyrannize their rare and valuable technology experts. The balance of power will continue to shift. In the next generation, engineers will rule the corporate world.

I look forward to that day. We're already seeing the first signs of this power shift. In many companies, engineers wear casual clothes while their managers wear uncomfortable business clothes. By analogy, when you see an organ grinder and his monkey, it's always the monkey who has to wear the uncomfortable red vest and hat. If the monkey had the power, he'd be wearing Dockers. That's all you need to know.

In the corporate future when engineers consolidate their power, cubicles will still exist, because they're very space efficient. Engineers appreciate efficiency. But unlike the sterile boxes of today, every cubicle will be a technology wonderland customized for the occupant. Flat-panel screens on each wall will give the impression you are in a hot-air balloon floating over the Alps. Noise-cancellation technology will block out the surrounding sounds while providing a symphony within the cubisphere. The computer will continue its evolution to a full entertainment center, providing a constant supply of first-run movies, live nudity, gambling and video conferencing. The engineer's chair will be soft and warm, conforming to the body and providing simulated motion and vibration to match the entertainment. The cubicle experience will be so much better than life on the outside, engineers won't want to leave. That could be a problem.

I heard about an experiment where rats were given the choice between food and cocaine. They chose the cocaine until they starved. The same thing will happen to the engineers. I predict they'll all starve to death inside their cubicle wonderlands.

I just hope no one blames me.

Scott Adams is the creator of Dilbert, author of The Joy of Work and an executive producer of the forthcoming Dilbert, animated TV series

  < < Previous 1 | 2 | 3





[an error occurred while processing this directive]