ABSTRACT
A leaner organization of labour, outsourcing and new forms of employment imply significant changes. Politicians and private employers alike emphasize that it is the individual's responsibility to be 'employable'. In his influential discussion of flexible capitalism, Richard Sennett traces the concept of flexibility back to fifteenth-century English. Then it was used with reference to patterns of movement exemplified by the ability of a tree to bend in the wind and then straighten again. Flexibility can be associated with creativity, which implies an open-minded attitude or a state of readiness to act in the face of new ideas and ways of working. In a labour market situation that demands constant upgrading and development, an industry of companies working with competence development has emerged: educational companies, consultants, therapists, management professionals and, more recently, colleges offering everything from further education to an afternoon's stand-up comedy.
