Free Agent Nation

If you’re not worried about food, shelter, and other basics, then you might as well do something you enjoy, something that satisfies some higher needs. With many corporate environments still so

Maslow maintained that human motivation had deeper causes and a loftier purpose. Our highest need—indeed, what makes us human—was what he called self-actualization, the yearning to engage our talents and realize our potential.

Work today,” says business über-guru Tom Peters, “is about two things: talent and projects.” 10 This broad shift in

if you’re the client, a bad idea that takes a long time to hatch will cost more than a good idea the firm comes up with instantly. That’s why many free agents charge by the project or the task—rather than by the hour. People know in their bones that there’s something awry with the old economy notion that the more time you log, the more valuable you

The basic unit of this Free Agent Operating System—the 1s and 0s of the underlying code—is trust.

Large permanent organizations with fixed rosters of individuals are giving way to small, flexible networks with ever-changing collections of talent.

Increasingly, this is a common arrangement for producing new Web sites, new electronic goods, new magazines, new buildings, new ad campaigns, new pharmaceuticals, and just about any other product or service whose key ingredients are the brainpower, creativity, skill, and commitment of the people involved. To craft a new piece of software, high-tech

Opportunity, what free agents receive in exchange for their talent, comes in many forms. It can be the opportunity to work on a cool project, to learn new skills, to meet new people and broaden your network, to have fun, and, of course, to earn money. Opportunity—money, learning, connections—is what free agents seek and what organizations and other

Freedom—the ability to exercise one’s will—has become essential for making meaning in work.