You can find the full interview below.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

More and more companies will eventually begin to realize that what we’re experiencing is not merely a deep, prolonged recession, but rather a wholesale restructuring of the economy—and moreover, that we’ve entered The Age of Turbulence—which will require new business platforms—Chaotics Platforms—to handle turbulence and minimize or prevent chaos.  Once business and government leaders begin to understand what they must do, I’m confident that the unemployment figures will begin to reverse direction.

Also, once transitional unemployment begins to settle down sometime next year—to somewhere around or just above 8 percent, that the US, and the world, economies will be on firmer footing.  While the idea of a floor of 8 percent unemployment may be troubling to many, let’s focus on the 92 percent that will be employed on a more solid footing, and be better able to hold up the US economy during turbulence — and even heightened turbulence.

In mid-September, the US unexpectedly imposed emergency tariffs on Chinese produced tires and poultry.  It should be noted that here the turbulence here is being generated by the US, relatively developed nation, in response to the relatie new comer, China.  This is is often the case.  It is not in China’s best interest to directly cause the turbulence but rather more tactfully to point out that the US was the one breaking the WTO rules.  Beijing immediately accused Obama of “rampid protectionism” with the China’s minister of commerce Chen Deming saying that it “sends the wrong signal to the world”.  These are Turbulent times indeed.

To understand market turbulence and its effect on business, it may be helpful to review concepts of turbulence in nature as well as in science and physics. Turbulence in the natural world is characterized by violent or agitated behavior. Think of hurricanes, windstorms, tornados, cyclones, and tsunamis. Their defining characteristics are violence, randomness, and unpredictability. (Chaotics Chapter 1: The World Has Entered A New Economic Stage: From Normality to Turbulence)

The increasing familiar Sino-US war of words over trade exemplifies the changing balance of global power.  They mask the deeper forces at work.  Beijing has show increasingly sophisticated legal strategies in dealing with trade disputes, maximizing political effect while minimizing economic downsides.  The US has a weakening hand in the game that is global politics, something that is increasingly clear to all.  The US is going to need to raise it’s game In order to continue to compete in this Age of Turbulence.

Chaotics Audio Review (Mind Tools)

Chaotics Audio Review Transcript (Mind Tools)

I’m proud to announce the book is now available in 25 languages in more than 50 countries!

Chaotics co-authors John Caslione and Philip Kotler

Philip Kotler

John Caslione

Philip Kotler and Donatella Ceccarelli Caslione

John Caslione and Chaotics, LLC. board member, Jeremy Ling

A new chapter in global economic history has begun, one in which the United States, and to a lesser extent Europe, will no longer play its former dominant roles.  A process of redistributing money and power around the world—away from the U.S. and Europe—and toward the resource-rich countries and rising industrialized nations in Asia and the rest of the emerging world has been underway for years.  The financial crises of 2008 only accelerated the process.

For domestic Chinese companies, China’s continued growth has helped to propel them to new highs with a Chinese corporation reaching the top ten of the Fortune 500 for the first time ever.  Sinopec (China Petroleum & Chemical Corp) came in ninth this year.  There were a total of 37 firms in the Top 500 this year including 9 new entrants.  The changing landscape is undeniable.  Overall, Walmart was replaced at the top spot by Anglo-Dutch energy giant Royal Dutch Shell, the first time in more than 10 years that a non-US firm ranked first on the list.

Wal-Mart now also recognizes that fundamental behaviors must change (both their own and their consumers) in the “new normality”, which will be with us for many years into the future.

They discuss what’s wrong with businesses having a “2 playbook” strategy and how to be profitable in a tough environment.  The article has some nice specific examples and definitely worth a read!