Chapter 3 Summary and Comments

In chapter 3 of A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink presents a world in transition. The chapter entitled "High Concept, High Touch" emphasizes the need for Americans to evolve to compete and to continue to lead in a global economy.

First, Pink presents a humorous cartoon that shows an American walking increasingly taller and with a more lively step as he evolves through economic ages (p. 50). Pink outlines the progression through the following ages:

Agricultural Age: America was a society of farmers.

Industrial Age: America was a country that emphasized efficiency and promoted mass production.

Information Age: America was a country of "knowledge workers" that valued analytical thinking.

Conceptual Age: America is becoming a country that values creativity and meaning.

Pink claims that this change is taking place as a result of what he calls "ATG" in North America, Western Europe, Australia and Japan.
A= Affluence
T= Technological progress
G= Globalization

In this Conceptual Age, we are moving from an era of left brain-right brain dichotomy to an era of a unified mind that adds to rather than replaces "L-Directed Thinking." In addition to analytic, logical thinking, Pink claims that we need to develop "high-concept" and "high-touch" capabilities.

High Concept	High Touch
Involves the ability to: Create art and beauty Write narratives Invent	Involves the ability to: Interpret relationships Find joy in self and others Search for meaning and purpose

(This information can be found on pages 51 and 52 of Daniel H. Pink’s A Whole New Mind.)

To illustrate the transition that is taking place specifically in the United States, Pink gives four examples:

1. Medical School: According to Pink, medical schools are changing their curricula to diagnostic procedures that emphasize empathy and the patient's story.
2. Japan: He highlights the growing pop culture and the new emphasis on creativity in schools.
3. General Motors: Pink presents a view of General Motors, whom most Americans accept as a product of the Industrial Age, as an evolving company that has leaders who view the company's role as that of creator and artist.
4. MFA: The author focuses on the explosive popularity of Master of Fine Arts programs.

All of these changes in various niches of American society point to the growing awareness that the way for the American worker to beat the lower prices produced by international outsourcing is to create. Americans need to focus on creating and recreating products with aesthetic appeal that is worth more to consumers. The following quote summarizes Pink's assertion that the Conceptual Age is one of "high-concept" and "high-touch" abilities:
"We must perform work that overseas knowledge workers can't do cheaper, that computers can't do faster, and that satisfies the aesthetic, emotional, and spiritual demands of a prosperous time" (p. 61).

Finally, Pink introduces six skills that are high-concept and high-touch:

• design
• story
• symphony
• empathy
• play
• meaning
  

In A Whole New Mind, Pink provides compelling evidence that our economy is undergoing a change. While the prospect of competing with workers that do not need to earn the same level of income as a livable wage is daunting, Pink highlights the ways in which we can continue to make ourselves more valuable. Pink's ideas appeal to my logical, L-Directed side. If the successful participant in the modern economy must be analytical, creative, and empathic, teachers must play a role in developing these aspects of our students.

I frequently hear my students debate aloud whether or not they will be doctors, lawyers, engineers, or some sort of "business person." In their minds, these careers are more desirable because they have traditionally provided stability and prestige. Often, parents have encouraged their children to consider only these career paths. From talking to my friends I know that people of my generation seem to think of themselves as "math and science people" or as "humanities people" (never as both) because of the artificial line we have drawn through our abilities to be simultaneously logical and creative.

What can teachers do to change this? Teachers can and should develop the sensibilities simultaneously in all students. In my classroom, I can use multiple models of instruction to invite analytical think and invention. For example, I could present students with assignments that require products that are inventive, beautiful, and helpful to the world beyond the classroom. Through WebQuests, I can present students with problems that will require them to seek solutions through understanding the values and needs of people in other countries. Open-ended projects guide students to develop flexible and holistic thinking that will prepare them for work in the Conceptual Age.

Works Cited:

Pink, Daniel H.. A Whole New Mind. New York: Riverhead Books, 2005.