What's Next, Managers Ask?
Democracy's ongoing retreat questions longcherish ideals. Managers study the direction that political ideologies might track. Will liberal democracy a la the Washington Consensus regain the commanding heights? Ongoing developments worldwide, led by an expanding middel class and supported by social networking channels, support that forecast. Or will ideological war between Washington and Moscow. Hence, the question arises: Are we once again facing a cycle of transition and consolidatiin?
Whatever the answer, only the ill-advised underestimate political change. if the Washington Consensus proves resilient, managers must adjust operations to the growing pains of countries that champion feedom, advocate human rights, and adopt the rule of law. Prosperity may come with difficulty, but there will be prosperity for many. if the Beijing Consensus predominates, managers must rethink business in a world that uses state controls to generate economic growth at the price of freedom. Prosperity may come easily, but its price will include individual freedoms. if ideologies transform as civillization clash, the resulting social and religious orders will reset system. Prosperity may prove a wild card as oppositional ideologies battle for the commanding heights.