Until now, corporations have been built on the assumption of continuity; so they focus on operations and efficiency. Control has always been a factor in ensuring accountability, but does that still apply in a connected economy?

Genetically, we humans are 96% identical yet our diversity is the core value each of us bring. It is a result of what sticks and what falls out that has built a biological system that basically is the same with some minor variance. In the connected age, we are interacting with a bionomic world economy, where open collaboration is rapidly becoming the norm and not the exception. In this case, where does controlled accountability really fit in?

As you are reading this, just think about the power of political blogs and their accountability over pre-packaged "talking point" intensive network news. The latter is accountable enough to have veterans like Dan Rather lose his job, where the emergent bloggers reign in the new order of authenticity. If a blogger bullshits, there are multiple others with valid research to discredit them almost immediately. This is very interesting indeed.

It seems that openness impels real accountability. From a control paradigm of the last version of the economy, this is often bothersome to the status quo, but real accountability it seems ultimately rests with openness.

Is it any wonder that everyone from IBM to even Microsoft is spouting opensource innovations, and GM now has a blog with podcasts being updated daily? It’s not only natural, it’s a wake up call to companies who think they can thrive while excluding themselves from participating from global discussions.

I believe real accountability is here, it thrives on openness, and it needs that 96% participation to create a global economy that can stand the test of time.