Rethinking America

Measuring this country against its major competitors, Smith shows how global competition has radically altered the way people work, what schools need to teach, and the nature of power and people's relationships on the job. With one insightful story after another, he reveals what goes on inside grade school and high school classrooms and inside big corporations and small companies in the three main capitalist economies; how that affects our future; and why today's greatest need is a new mind-set. In revealing portraits, Smith contrasts how American CEOs think at giants such as GM, Boeing, Motorola, compared to CEOs at Germany's Daimler-Benz and Deutsche Bank or at Japan's Toyota or Mitsubishi. He discloses how differently decisions are made and power is wielded in the corporate boardrooms of America, Germany, and Japan. He shows us what workers think and do in these rival economies and how the lives of workers at companies such as Ford and Motorola were transformed once management began rethinking its approach. Education is where the race begins. Smith contrasts what American grade school teachers emphasize, compared with the skills and values taught elsewhere. He shows how businessmen in Germany and Japan cooperate with educators in creating programs to prepare "mid-kids"--Average high school students--for solid careers and how innovative American communities are developing similar strategies.