Fuggetabout the shape of the world - look at the people

By Art Gillis

It's nice to be in a city (Dallas) that is populated by big technology companies - EDS, ACS, Perot Systems and even a branch of CSC. One reason is we can get prominent execs to speak at the Institute of Management Consultants meetings conveniently. They can sleep in their own bed that night. So when I heard a most stimulating and informative presentation from one such president, I couldn't help sending a follow-up e-mail. Too many of my esteemed colleagues had corralled the poor guy after the meeting so I waited to do my thing my way. Here is a copy of my e-mail:

Thank you for your informative presentation last Monday evening. After 32 years as an IT consultant, I have been asked why I go out of my way (even to adjust client schedules) to attend two meetings a month at IMC. The next one who asks will hear about you. If I did an ROI, I'd be in huge debt to IMC far beyond the 20 bucks I spent. I don't even charge it to my company. It's totally personal. I understand the economic issues and benefits of cheap labor, especially if I'm the buyer. However, I have never heard anyone talk about the awakening of highly capable Indian citizens to the injustices of slave-like wages. I expect one day a modern-day Mahatma Gandhi will appear and lead his people to a world of fast cars, seaside condos, Georgio Armani suits, and even women with less than Hindu virtues. How long will cheap labor last, where that labor far exceeds the competencies of other cultures? I'm counting months, not years. If the world is flat, and business is global, and location is virtually next door, and we're all following one sun (to use your road map guidance), then it seems inconsistent to me that certain nationalities will not have equal rights to all the goodies.