I’ve long held the theory that anything that has “science” in the name probably isn’t actually a science but is instead trying to stretch science’s brand to cover itself with a veneer of rigorous method, validation and the discovery of fundamental truths.  “Social science” is an example.  Perhaps the worst offender is the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.  Real sciences have names like chemistry, biology, physics or economics.  Right?

Well, three out of four isn’t bad.  Economics isn’t science nor is what I’m about to write truly economics except to the degree that is relates to our life and times as economic entities in this grand society of ours.  It isn’t about any numbers or statistics I’ve compiled – it’s purely based on casual observation.  But I’m not looking for a Moody’s AAA rating, either.

I was thinking about this the other day when I was talking to friend who works for a major theater company that has barely kept its head afloat in the financial crisis.  He was bemoaning (well, more observing to be fair) that the musicians associated with the theater company had come close to striking this year since their union was demanding an increase in pensions, salary and benefits that they weren’t getting since it would have driven the company into the red.  This isn’t a post bashing unions, but it did seem to me that the timing was horribly out of sync with the state of the world.  I was explaining this to someone else, a successful web entrepreneur, when she asked me a rather unexpected question.  What’s a pension, anyway? Is it just a 401(k)?

This entrepreneur is only a little younger than I am, but she literally had no concept of a pension plan associated with a company.  Unlike health care, retirement plans became substantially disentangled from specific employers with the advent of the 401(k) and IRA and younger people outside the public sector and the oldest and most storied companies honestly have no idea what they are about.

The change from pensions is a reflection of the fact that most people will have 10 or 12 jobs in their career so carrying their retirement with them is important.  Actually, 10-12 is the current wisdom, but given the fluidity of the labor market, it’s likely to be higher.  That means people spend more time unemployed and eating into savings, something wage statistics don’t really address.  But more interestingly, what it really means is that people are no longer really employees – they really act more like contractors.

This may not sound like much of a revelation and I’m not sure that, on its face, it is.  However if you take it a step further it implies that no one is just part of a team building sustained value – each person will be individual reviewed for their fitness not just for promotion but for hiring a least a dozen times in their career.  It’s like applying to college a dozen times (actually harder – most good companies accept a smaller percentage of incoming resumes than the most selective colleges).

That means not only ongoing uncertainty (we wonder why we’re so stressed out all the time) but that the aggressive among us invest in those things that build our own brand and personal equity, even occasional at the expense of our companies and coworkers.  It’s now important to get your name on the paper, your place on the phone call, your card with the client even if you don’t intend to have a long relationship.  You need to connect with them on Linked In and you need to take credit for what you can.  You want to appear on interviews and you want to be there for your clients not just to serve them but to keep your options open.

In a sense, these behaviors are not new but the motivation is no longer self aggrandizement.  It’s professional survival.  Your personal representation to the world through all of these factors is what is going to make or miss the cut.  It’s your brand.  Rather than consenting to let someone else in the firm take the credit for purposes of internal promotion, you’re inclined to take it yourself since 11 out of 12 of the times you are reviewed will be by a different employer.

This is a shame.  It reflects something of a shift in companies’ priorities.  There have always been three constituencies – the shareholders, the customers and the employees, but today the emphasis in this list is strongly in descending order.  With any luck, enlightened employers will try to rebalance the equation.  In the meantime, those looking for work should start thinking about their brands.  It isn’t just your resume – it’s your network, your reputation and your whole body of work.