So now our U.S. companies are in increased peril: white collar tasks are more opaque than ever, while customer and product risks are on the rise.

Today, leading edge companies across the manufacturing and services spectrum are working on new ways to reduce risk, and increase visibility. The technical bits are fairly easy, but the cultural change needed inside the white collar parts of the organization is massive.

There needs to be a revolution in implementation of processes that bring greater visibility and less risk to all aspects of our businesses. It is no longer acceptable that senior management remain ignorant of the goings-on at even the deepest depths of the organization.

Technology can play a key role in providing this linkage and visibility. But before this can help, we need leadership at the top that doesn't fail to imagine and is determined to make their people work differently. This isn't about taking on the popular bogeymen of the past. It's about fundamentally changing our culture and our capabilities.

The old manufacturing and service economies can be saved, but they both need to be rebuilt upon the bedrock of visibility.