A new approach to the structure of society: a creative class

For a long time, scientists following the Marxists inmodern structure of society distinguished two opposing classes: the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Discussions were held around who belongs to the middle class, what criterion underlies its allocation. Traditionally, intellectual workers were referred to a separate layer - the intelligentsia, until the book "Creative Class: People Who Change the Future" (2002) by the American sociologist Richard Florida, singled out the creative elite as an independent class, ensuring the prosperity of not only individual corporations but whole powers.

Idea

The idea has been in the air for a long time, and Richard Floridajust ahead of others in the theoretical interpretation of the changes. The professor of management, who taught at that time at the University of Pittsburgh, could not help but notice that innovations in the field of IT technologies, artificial intelligence and robotics are connected with the support of businessmen for the most talented representatives of the society. A vivid example is the success of Bill Gates, who brought together the top 150 programmers. These are not just professionals in their business, they are people who have outstripped their time.

The so-called creative class is creative,The most active part of society, able to see the new in the ordinary. World companies are fighting for such people, understanding that many, if not all, depend on those who are able to predict the direction of development at the level of intuition. The society is on the threshold of the era of creativity, when the speed of change becomes so great that those who managed to respond more correctly to them are winning. Hockey star Wayne Gretzky figuratively derived his formula for success, which can be considered universal: "Success is the ability to appear where the puck is in 10 seconds."

How many of them?

From creative people, the production of new ideas is required, so they work in areas where it is vital:

• Business is the main sphere of their application, because it flows in a competitive environment. Those who are able to offer something unexpected win to win in conditions of tough struggle.
• All kinds of creativity (painting, photography, design, cinema), as well as a profession where it is impossible to follow a clear instruction (pedagogy, medicine, social work).
• Scientific activity.
• Policy.
• Separate types of public service (nature protection, culture management, investigative committee).

The creative class is part of that part of society,which is usually called the middle class. In civilized countries, it is between 50 and 70% of the population. From 5 to 10% among them is the creative group, which today is spoken by scientists around the world. R. Florida ranked it to 30% of Americans engaged in creative activities.

Characteristic

What are the characteristics of the representatives of the new class?

• Flexible work schedule, not binding them to the office.
• The workload is greater than the usual office employees due to constant mental activity and being around the clock for the employer.
• Increased level of responsibility for the result.
• Horizontal mobility due to attachment to the profession, not to the company.
• Regular change of activities due to the search for creative self-realization.
• The main motives for work are comfortable working conditions and satisfaction with its results, rather than a monetary reward.

The creative class spends most of the time oneducation, not always following its traditional forms. Its representatives do not recognize any social hierarchy, except personal achievements. They are more prone to stress and emotional overload, so they easily wander from place to place.

Creative class in Russia

The middle class in Russia is inferior in numbercivilized countries and ranges from 25 to 30%. Does this mean that there are fewer creative people in the country? By no means. Professor of Mathematics Leonid Grigoriev revealed an interesting pattern: Western representatives of the newly-born class are rushing abroad, easily leaving their countries. From Russia, the strong professionals who dream of stability leave, but the elite of the middle class seeks to prove themselves in their homeland. This is due both to the difficulties in career growth in the West, and the desire to achieve recognition in their own country. There are cases when people still leave, but prefer to live in two countries, retaining citizenship and the opportunity to return for the implementation of new ideas.

The peak of creativity is in young years. On average, the heyday comes at the age of twenty and continues for another couple of decades. This led to the fact that the creative class of those born in the 70's had to realize itself in the harsh years of the crisis of the 90's. Born in the 80's were more psychologically resistant to easy money, but the country's poverty and a limited number of decent jobs narrowed the scope of their talent. Weak development of science, art, the education system has changed. What are the prospects today?

Prospects

Life in a post-industrial society is notcan proceed according to the traditional laws of capitalism. Today, there is insufficient investment for the development of production and economic growth. The secret of success is the combination of technology, tolerance and talent. The nucleus of modern life should be a university capable of generating all these three components. The community must learn to transform intellectual property into economic welfare, and the human climate around the university is to retain talented people. Urban infrastructure, traditions and cultural environment are called upon to solve this problem.

The creative class symbolizes the power of the intellect, which comes to replace the power of machines. In regions and countries where this is well understood, conditions are created for future economic prosperity.