The 13th of August is now celebrated around the world as International Left-Handers Day. It is estimated that about 10 percent of the world's population is left-handed. In the old days, being "wrong" handed was a real disadvantage and children around the world were forced to learn to write and cope with what remains today largely a world designed for the right-handed.

Some of the world's most famous people are left-handed, for example, President Obama, former President Bill Clinton, Prince William, HG Wells, Martina Navratilova, Ringo Star, baseball's Babe Ruth. Yes, Argentina's Diego Maradona's much debated "Hand of God" Goal in the 1986 World Cup involved his "left" hand and the "Little Master" is, indeed, left handed. The list goes on and yet there are some serious reflections to be made on this day. Here is my list:

1. In Praise of Adaptability. To begin with, the fact that so many people have adapted over the years to a left-handed world is a testament to the flexibility and adaptability of humans. While the media typically focuses on China's amazing economic growth over the past two decades, perhaps even more remarkable is the way China and its people and organizations have coped with wave after wave of change. We should take heart in author Leon C. Megginson's observation (often wrongly attributed to Darwin) that: "It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change."

2. Mass Customization. The good news is that new technology and business models have moved most parts of our economy from a model based on mass consumption with few choices to one of mass customization where products and services are as much software as something mechanical and in which the various software applications are in the cloud and products are connected to one another in the Internet-of-Things. Increasingly, it doesn't matter whether one is left or right handed - things can be customized as required.

3. Role of Design. A third point is that in today's world design is more important than ever before - a lesson strongly re-enforced by the success of Steve Jobs and Apple. Good design considers all key stakeholders and is able to be customized. Cities, universities, businesses, law firms - all major institutions in the 21st century are undergoing a re-design to meet the needs of a digital information age where organizations are flatter, people are connected, systems are inter-connected and many-to-many applications are required.

5. Value of Diversity. World Left-Hander's day is also a reminder of the value of diversity. If we are to avoid "group think" and maximize innovation then we need to learn to see the world differently. Thus left-handedness is a metaphor for "difference." And, in that difference we can find new solutions to the problems we are encountering in today's world.

6. Opening our eyes to the reality that not everyone is like us. When we realize that not everyone is like us we also have the basis for empathy and understanding. Again, the intolerance shown by terrorists and other groups is a real threat to the freedom of others who do not share the same world view. As the old maxim states: "We see things not as they are, but as we are." If we are open to new perspectives and understand that other cultures, races, governments, etc have different ways of doing things, we will hopefully be more tolerant as will learn from one another. In recognizing how people learn, our educational institutions, too, can do a better job of adapting the learning environment to meet the particular needs of individual learners.

7. Need for Ambidexterity. Most excitedly, today the question is not left vs right handedness. Thanks to adaptation, brain plasticity and other developments, we can be ambidextrous and able to cope in various environments. In a world of constant change and 24/7 activity, both individuals and organizations must learn to be "ambidextrous" as indicated by a growing body of research. The pace of change and innovation require people and organizations to be mobile, responsive to changing conditions and able to both change course quickly and pursue more than one strategy at the same time.

8. Resilience. Finally, whether as a country, economic system or individual, the success of left-handers reminds us of the importance of being resilient and hanging in there during both good times and bad. Persistence often wins in the end. As Jodi Picoult, wrote in My Sister's Keeper,

"The human capacity for burden is like bamboo - far more flexible than you'd ever believe at first glance."

Eugene Clark is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/eugeneclark.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

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