The Case for Working With Your Hands
In the New York Times, Matthew Crawford argues that a re-evaluation of how we view work is timely given the economic situation. “An economy that is more entrepreneurial, less managerial, would be less subject to the kind of distortions that occur when corporate managers’ compensation is tied to the short-term profit of distant shareholders. For most entrepreneurs, profit is at once a more capacious and a more concrete thing than this. It is a calculation in which the intrinsic satisfactions of work count — not least, the exercise of your own powers of reason.”

Despite Bad Economy No Big Shift in Values
David Paul Kuhn features a study by Pew Internet Research on Americans’ views on business and government amidst the recession. “The poll did ping a populist streak in American public opinion, but populism has not surged upward since the market collapse. Fully three fourths of Americans say, “there is too much power concentrated in the hands of a few big companies.” More than six in 10 of those polled believe businesses’ profits are too large. But Pew finds these opinions are generally unchanged in recent years.”

What next? Ten questions for CFOs
David Cogman and other analysts from McKinsey Quarterly advise managers to focus on getting the most out of the eventual recovery. “What shape will a recovery take? Even if the worst is over—though we make no assurances that it is—much uncertainty remains about the recovery’s nature and pace. A steady recovery over 12 to 18 months would pose challenges very different from those of a tepid one over, say, five years or even a slip back into recession. What weight are you giving to the possibility of wage and price inflation, high unemployment, lower international trade, or dramatic swings in currency values? What’s more, if excess leverage inflated demand and profitability in the years leading up to the crash, CFOs must help managers to understand what they should expect as normal after the crisis has fully passed and to set appropriate performance targets.”

Office space by the hour
Canada.com’s Maria Teresa Bitti takes a closer look at the booming virtual office business. “Small business owners are looking for cost-effective solutions to renting office space, which can easily run between $6,000 and $8,000 a month, and that’s where we come in. We offer a prestigious business address, mail service and 24/7 access to the space on a pay-per-use basis. It’s a variable cost as opposed to a fixed cost of thousands a month on a lease.”

Do you really need to go into the office?
Phil Swinney of Digital Mayhem says that visibility should give way to accountability, as well as other changes at work. “Skype, Twitter, Yammer, Slideshare, Linkedin, Wikis and many other social media tools are changing how we work. The traditional workspace is moving from a physical location in an office to a virtual space where people share information, ideas, conversations and knowledge online. The water cooler banter is happening on Twitter, the business presentation on Slideshare and the business networking on Linkedin. Our workplace is becoming global and our office spaces virtual.”

Changing Careers in a Bad Economy
If, despite these uncertain times you still feel the need to change career paths, author Dr. Toni Galardi lists a few things you can do to ease the transition on LifeQuake. “Volunteer. Do your research on companies or non profit organizations who court the kind of patrons that you want to network with. By volunteering for charity events or giving even 5 hours a week of your time to a cause you believe in could turn an avocation into a new vocation.”

Good Business In A Bad Economy? Grow Your Business In A Recession
The Digerati Life enumerates the types of businesses that thrive during a downturn, as well as additional links to how to grow your business. “Are there businesses that thrive during an economic recession? Definitely. I believe you can run a small business even in time of crisis. With the right amount of luck, planning and hard work, you can find business success and see your venture do well even in the worst economic conditions. It won’t be a walk in the park, but it becomes a bit easier though, if you are in the right business niche, sector or industry. Being well positioned with the type of business that naturally grows in a struggling economy will no doubt help you a lot.”

Office Space
Erick Villagomez of re:place magazine writes about the future of workplace development in relation to the changing nature of business and work. “Think, for a moment, of how different the business landscape was 10 years ago? 20 years? 30 years? From the development of laptop computers and the refinement of the internet, to the popularity of cell phones and iPhones, the disparity is truly astounding. In comparison to the rapidly-changing technologies that shape the business world, cities are slow-moving entities. Standard bureaucratic processes tend to make things even slower – some to the point of stagnation – due to institutionalizing outdated ideas.”

Entrepreneurship in a declining economy
Coyote Chronicle’s Amanda Meere on how young people are coping by creating their own businesses to generate income. “In today’s economy, students may have to acquire money from alternative job sources. With job losses increasing daily, many have started their own businesses as ways to create income. The Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy doesn’t break out statistics for teens and tweens, but says in 2006 there were 492,000 people younger than 25 who were self-employed, according to USA Today.”