Production of culture is said to shield the people from complexity - "Myths and beliefs to transform random, crushing forces of the universe into manageable or at least understandable, patterns"[1]
It is interesting to observe the parties who fund and validate culture in Manchester. During a recent lecture at URBIS-Engel’s Manchester: History Lessons From Cottonopolis[2]-the historian Tristrum Hunt instigated a debate about how Manchester's identity is being formed and used to attract investment.
There was a parallel event in Second Life. Avatars discussed the construction of the city's culture in virtual worlds and how the history or a virtual world would be written while listening to a live feed from URBIS. Will the myths and beliefs be created in virtual worlds that will offer people protection from chaos?
[1]p10-14 Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow (Rider & Co, 2002).
[2] http://tinyurl.com/2qpwu
Management can help its workforce be ensuing that there is a well cultured environment. It will help protect them from complexity. If this culture is located in strange virtual worlds it will benefit the workers by making them less fearful of complexity and help them come to terms with the chaos in the economy that might affect them. Is China going to turn the online shopping experience into a video game that will 'Amazonize' its products and what will be the effect on the high street when consumers can buy direct?
How will the leaders of the future represent themselves and their companies in virtual worlds and what will people think?
These are questions for future managers and leaders in business who would no doubt benefit from reading Leaderswedeserve
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