Smithsonian.com

According to the theory of creative destruction, one company feeds on the corpse of another, and then once it has outlived its usefulness, the organization dies and provides the nutrients for the next generation of companies to feed upon. One a macro level, that sounds pretty good: healthy and natural. But look at the process from a human perspective, and you’ll see some grisly cannibalism.

The recent destruction of so many careers (or more honestly, so many jobs) left people hungry for something else and clawing for replacement roles. Hopefully better, smarter—more meaningful. A function less habitual and more magical.

So many of us (employed or not) are yearning for a new source of economic nutrition, because the creative destructiveness all around us is turning out to be pretty disgusting. We’re not so willing to be financial cannibals anymore. We want something healthier, tastier, and less morally repugnant.

Now is our chance to figure out what that could be.

(c) Jessica Hagy, 2011