Flattening and Converging with Friedman
Based on Thomas L. Friedman, The World is Flat

1. Collapse of the Berlin Wall: November 9, 1989. End of the Cold War and beginning of a new worldwide mainstream
2. The Internet, which Friedman dates to Netscape's release of its browser on August 8, 1995. Any schmuck with a modem and an ISP account could tap into a world wide web of information.
3. Work flow software: Standards and protocols enable computers and other devices to talk to each other without any human involvement.
4. Uploading. The creation of content, by communities or individuals (as opposed to corporations). Examples such as open source software, blogs, and Wikipedia.
5. Outsourcing. Having work done more quickly, and more cheaply, elsewhere (within a company and usually within a country)
6. Offshoring. Cheap, affordable digital communication allows companies to put each department in the location (usually another country) where it is most productive.
7. Supply Chaining: The streamlined global movement of components and finished goods is now possible on an unimaginable scale. Wal-Mart provides an example.
8. Insourcing: Marketing as a skill which is totally unrelated to their basic business. UPS now fixes computers and manages Papa John's delivery service. Missouri State University grows business, resolves conflicts, provides entertainment.
9. In-Forming:  "the individual's ability to build and deploy their own personal supply chain - a supply chain of information, knowledge and entertainment."
10. The Steroids: Emerging new communications technologies: texting, Wi-Fi networks, PDAs, iPods, etc.

CONVERGENCE I: Around the year 2000, each flattener enhanced all of the other flatteners.

CONVERGENCE II: Horizontal collaboration and the ten flatteners reinforced each other in order, bringing about more innovations.

CONVERGENCE III: The opening of new markets converged new ideas with the flatteners and enhanced global collaboration, affecting politics and the world economy.