The death of the lawyer (and the accountant)

Dan Pink, of A Whole New Mind fame, was noted as saying this a while ago;

"Anything that can be 'routinised' will be put on a microchip or in a software programme. Whether you are a lawyer or an accountant, you will be automated and you need to deploy the creative half of your brain fast to become first among equals.

"In the US an uncontested divorce will cost you $3,000 through an attorney. Or it will cost you $249 through a piece of software that runs the forms for you to fill in online.

"It's the same with medical diagnostics or in fact anything that involves decision trees. Middle class white-collar jobs are up for grabs. Last year one million Americans had their income tax returns worked out by accountants in India. There was a big fuss about that. But no-one said anything about the 21 million Americans who filed their tax return with a $39 piece of software called QuickTax instead of going to an accountant. "

So, if the white collar professions, in the form they now exist, have had it, how do you change your customer offer to avoid being commoditised, too? What vision for the future do you need to adapt in order to keep abreast of predicted changes?

Pink suggests you contemplate and develop six new senses, he predicts that these new aptitudes will decide which organisations customers still want to do business with, and which become low-cost commodities.

Pink's "six new senses" are, he says, specific high-concept and high-touch aptitudes that are essential in this new era:

• Design
  It's no longer sufficient to create a product, service, experience or lifestyle that's merely functional. Today it's economically crucial and personally rewarding to create something that's beautiful, whimsical or emotionally engaging.

• Story
  When our lives are brimming with information and data, it's not enough to marshal an effective argument. Someone somewhere will inevitably track down a counterpoint to rebut your point. The essence of persuasion, communication and self-understanding has become the ability also to fashion a compelling narrative.

For the full list of 6 senses email me.

Dan Pink, author of a Whole New Mind, whose last real job was at the White House, writing Al Gore's speeches, can be found here; www.danpink.com

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