The Urgency
The level of complexity often present in today's society requires workers - and students - to carefully plan and manage their work and to anticipate contingencies. In addition, it requires concentration on the main goals of a project - an ability to keep an eye on the outcomes so as to guide and align all facets of the project toward those goals. While this was the work of managers in the Industrial Age, it is now a basic requirement for the typical knowledge-worker of the 21st century.
The 1991 SCANS report supports this concept by including "systems" as one of its five competencies. In that report, "systems" are defined as the understanding of complex interrelationships and the ability to monitor and correct performance. The 1991 SCANS report also includes a fifth competency - "technology" - that emphasizes the selection and application of technology to ensure desired results. In the "personal qualities" section of the foundation, SCANS lists self-management as a desired and necessary trait.
