For a long time, scientists following the Marxists in the modern 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 selection. Traditionally, mental workers were assigned to a separate stratum - the intelligentsia, until the book “Creative Class: People Who Change the Future” (2002) by the American sociologist Richard Florida, who singled out the creative elite as an independent class that ensures the prosperity of not only individual corporations, but also entire powers.
Idea
The idea was in the air for a long time, and Richard Florida was simply ahead of the others in a theoretical understanding of the changes taking place. A management professor 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 reliance of businessmen on the most talented representatives of society. A striking example is the success of Bill Gates, who brought together the top 150 programmers in a single team. These are not just professionals, they are people ahead of their time.
The so-called creative class is the creative, most active part of society, capable of seeing new things in the ordinary. World companies are fighting for such people, realizing that many, if not all, depend on those who are able to predict the direction of development at the level of intuition. Society is on the verge of an era of creativity, when the rate of change becomes so great that those who win are able to quickly respond to them faster. Hockey star Wayne Gretzky figuratively deduced 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?
Creative people are required to produce new ideas, so they work in areas where it is vital:
- Business is the main area of their application, because it flows in a competitive environment. The winners are those who are able to offer something unexpected in order to prevail in a tough fight.
- All types of creativity (painting, photography, design, cinema), as well as professions where it is impossible to follow clear instructions (pedagogy, medicine, social work).
- Scientific activity.
- Politics.
- Certain types of public service (nature conservation, cultural management, investigative committee).
The creative class is included in that part of society, which is commonly called the middle class. In civilized countries, it makes up from 50 to 70% of the population. From 5 to 10% among them is the creative group that scientists around the world are talking about today. R. Florida ranked 30% of Americans involved in creative activities.
Characteristic
What features characterize the representatives of the new class?
- Flexible work schedule without tying them to the office.
- Workload is more than ordinary office workers 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 activity due to the search for creative self-realization.
- The main motives for work are comfortable working conditions and satisfaction with its results, rather than monetary reward.
The creative class spends most of the time on education, not always following its traditional forms. Its representatives do not recognize any social hierarchy, other than personal achievements. They are more prone to stress and emotional overload, so they easily roam from place to place.
Creative class in Russia
The middle class in Russia is inferior in size to civilized countries and ranges from 25 to 30%. Does this mean that there are fewer creative-minded people in the country? Not at all. The professor of mathematics Leonid Grigoryev revealed an interesting pattern: Western representatives of the newly-arrived class are torn abroad, easily leaving their countries. Strong professionals, dreaming of stability, are leaving Russia, but the middle class elite is striving to prove themselves at home. This is due to both difficulties in career growth in the West and the desire to achieve recognition in one’s own country. There are cases when people still leave, but prefer to live in two countries, retaining citizenship and the opportunity to return to implement new ideas.
The peak of creativity falls on young years. On average, flowering occurs at the age of twenty and lasts a couple of decades. This led to the fact that the creative class from among those born in the 70s was forced to realize themselves in the harsh years of the crisis of the 90s. Born in the 80s 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. Science, art developed poorly, the education system changed. What are the prospects today?
