Tech Watch | InfoWorld Staff » "The New Normal"

April 28, 2005 | Comments: (0)

"The New Normal"

TAGS: Business

After the turbulent boom times of the 1990s, the current decade has presented a period dubbed "The New Normal," according to Roger McNamee, author of "The New Normal" and a speaker at the Software 2005 conference on Wednesday.

"The reason this is going to be 'The New Normal' is because it's going to be with us for a very long time," said McNamee, who also serves as co-founder and general partner at Elevation Partners, Integration Capital Partners, and Silver Lake Partners. Featured in the so-called "New Normal" is the ubiquity of now-indispensable devices such as cellphones and Blackberrys, he said.

The 90s bull market was boosted by Moore's Law and the fall of the Berlin Wall, which greatly expanded America's ability to sell into new markets, he said. Previously, markets were limited to North America, Western Europe, and some parts of Asia.

For workers who did not lose their jobs in the technology bust period that followed the 1990s, they have had to take on new tasks and do more work with fewer people. This has made these employees more indispensable and afforded them new, marketable skills, according to McNamee.

"As the economy rises, the employees have more leverage," he said.

Now, time management becomes the key to success in "The New Normal," McNamee said. And workers need to prioritize family, career, and bank accounts to be successful, he said.

Lastly, McNamee told the audience life is a constant battle between fear and greed. But fear is transitory, greed permanent, said McNamee, sounding a bit like Gordon Gecko from "Wall Street."

-- By Paul Krill, from the Software 2005 conference in Santa Clara, Calif.

Posted by Caroline Craig on April 28, 2005 06:21 AM

RATE THIS ARTICLE: