demographic change as a cataylst for knowledge society
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© VDI/VDE-IT 21.03.2012
Demographic Change as a Catalyser for
Knowledge Society
Marc Bovenschulte
Head of Section „Demographic Change“
VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH
Berlin – Germany
E-Mail: [email protected]
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Age structure of groundbreaking scientific findings
© VDI/VDE-IT 21.03.2012
Jones, B. F. (2010): Age and Great Invention. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 92( 1), 1 – 14
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© VDI/VDE-IT 21.03.2012
The value of Invention: Innovation!
Frieling, E. & Enríquez, A.:
Arbeitsplatzgestaltung,
Arbeitsorganisation, alternsgerecht.
Presentation, slide #22, University of
Kassel
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Innovation: A matter of the Young?
Attributes of „the Young“
Explorative innovators
Liquid cognition
State of the art knowledge
…
Knowledge to invent
Attributes of „the Old“
Conceptual innovators
Crystalline cognition
Experience
…
Knowledge to innovate
© VDI/VDE-IT 21.03.2012
Knowledge Society
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© VDI/VDE-IT 21.03.2012
Absorbtive capacity
The ability to recognize the value of new information, assimilate it,
and apply it to commercial ends*
Uptake and usage of internal and external knowledge
Depends on the structure and organisation of the working processes
and conditions (flexibility)
Depends on the individual mind-set (openness)
Multivariate occupational career
*Cohen, W. & Levinthal, D. (1990): Absorptive Capacity: A new Perspective on Learning and Innovation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 35 (1), 128 – 152
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© VDI/VDE-IT 21.03.2012
Example: In the sector of plastics and rubber, companies that
collaborate are 10 – 40 % more productive and grow up to 20 % more
than companies that do not cooperate.*
An increasing importance of network economies and project economies
can be observed. New products require as well new production means
and conditions:
*“Cluster Report für die Herstellung von Kunststoff- und Gummiwaren”,
Forschungsinstitut für Regional- und Clustermanagement, 2008
The times they are a changing
Computers: Mainframes Personal Computers Smart Systems (“Big Blue”) (new SMEs) (disperse actors)
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© VDI/VDE-IT 21.03.2012
The knowledge based economy needs knowledge to structure
knowledge (turn invention into innovation).
This meta-knowledge is the domain of an experienced workforce
(“thinkforce”).
To develop, improve and maintain this type of knowledge, certain
conditions have to be fulfilled (absorptive capacity, multivariate
occupational career).
SMEs often do not offer these conditions due to size and structure.
Network effects can compensate this weakness of SMEs.
The more knowledge is applied and the more companies cooperate, the
more aged workforce is needed.
Bringing different perspectives together
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© VDI/VDE-IT 21.03.2012
“We didn’t even get the
opportunity to show what we
are able to do!”
Statement of German pensioners participating in a workshop about the
perspectives of an ageing society (Lüneburg, March 2012)
Consequences so far
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© VDI/VDE-IT 21.03.2012
In the long run we are all old
German Research Agenda for Demographic Change Das Alter hat Zukunft – The New Future of Old Age
www.das-alter-hat-zukunft.de