By now, many of you have either heard Richard Florida discuss his compelling books (or you’ve seen them in the store/library). I heard him again on the radio recently, and was reminded how impressed I was with the work he’s done:
The Rise of the Creative Class and How It’s Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life
Florida, an academic whose field is regional economic development, explains the rise of a new social class that he labels the creative class. Members include scientists, engineers, architects, educators, writers, artists, and entertainers. He defines this class as those whose economic function is to create new ideas, new technology, and new creative content. In general this group shares common characteristics, such as creativity, individuality, diversity, and merit. The author estimates that this group has 38 million members, constitutes more than 30 percent of the U.S. workforce, and profoundly influences work and lifestyle issues. The purpose of this book is to examine how and why we value creativity more highly than ever and cultivate it more intensely. He concludes that it is time for the creative class to grow up–boomers and Xers, liberals and conservatives, urbanites and suburbanites–and evolve from an amorphous group of self-directed while high-achieving individuals into a responsible, more cohesive group interested in the common good. Mary Whaley, Copyright © American Library Association.
And now he’s got a new book:
The Flight of the Creative Class – The New Global Competition for Talent
Following up on The Rise of the Creative Class (2002), Florida argues that if America continues to make it harder for some of the world’s most talented students and workers to come here, they’ll go to other countries eager to tap into their creative capabilities…
Hopefully, the CEOs of America’s corporations are paying attention 🙂
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