Future Shock

by Alvin Toffler

Where the organization man was subservient to the organization, Associative Man is almost insouciant toward it Where the organization man was immobilized by concern for economic security, Associative Man increasingly takes it for granted. Where the organization man was fearful of risk, Associative Man welcomes it (knowing that in an affluent and fast-changing society even failure is transient). Where the organization man was hierarchy-conscious, seeking status and prestige within the organization, Associative Man seeks it without. Where the organization man filled a predetermined slot, Associative Man moves from slot to slot in a complex pattern that is largely self-motivated. Where the organization man dedicated himself to the solution of routine problems according to well-defined rules, avoiding any show of unorthodoxy or creativity, Associative Man, faced by novel problems, is encouraged to innovate. Where the organization man had to subordinate his own individuality to “play ball on the team,” Associative Man recognizes that the team, itself, is transient He may subordinate his individuality for a while, under conditions of his own choosing; but it is never a permanent submergence.