drive that should lead to success in the next century, a leading insurance educator said yesterday.

But College of Insurance president Dr. Ellen Thrower challenged individuals during a Bermuda Insurance Institute luncheon at the Princess Hotel yesterday to look beyond normal parametres of thinking to find new age solutions.

Dr. Thrower talked of recent industry and world changes and how future companies will be distinguished by the quality of their staff.

The competitive edge will be having knowledgeable, talented people, not just at the top levels, but throughout the entire organisation. Even today, she said, many companies are already similar.

"Products are transparent in the insurance industry,'' the college president observed. "You can't hide them. Anyone can copy them. When a new insurance product hits the market today, you can be sure that the competition will have a similar product very soon.

"Today, there are a lot of financially strong companies, all focusing on quality and meeting customer needs. Even with information, no longer do just a few have it. Everyone has it. The key is who can use it.

"The one and only area that will differentiate companies in the future is the people. Such people are those who are well educated, creative and good at finding new ways to think about old things -- people who can think out of the box.'' Successful companies of the next century will hire and develop people with these skills, at every level. Yet she said few companies now have the kind of creative, knowledgeable and committed work force who can look at things outside of the box.

"Many of these companies are still focused on doing old things better,'' she commented, "and this is just not going to be enough to make it in the 21st Century.

"Here, I know, Bermuda has an advantage over much of the competition. Here, more than in any other insurance market in the world, companies have supported and empowered people to look beyond traditional barriers.

"Much of the Bermuda insurance industry's success has come from being able to look at old things in new ways.

"The development of ACE and XL, of Mid Ocean and SCUUL came about from thinking out of the box. They've defied traditional insurance company operations, structures and practices, creating a new model for operating more efficiently and responding better to customer needs.

" A lot of the early development and growth of financial reinsurance occurred in Bermuda, because some people looked at traditional reinsurance products and decided there was a different way to structure them -- new ways of looking at old things.'' She urged companies to consider that an effective work force for the year 2000 will ultimately depend on two things.

The first is a company environment which really values, supports, expects and rewards knowledgeable, creative thinkers.

Successful companies will build and nurture from the top down, an environment that values creative thinking and risk taking, and provides employees at every level with the opportunity, the support and the time to broaden their education and their skills.

"Without this broad education,'' counselled Dr. Thrower, "it is impossible to understand areas that are outside of your own domain.'' And while Bermuda fortunately has available resources for broadening education skills, it will not be enough for companies to just provide some financial support and hope that employees will find a way to take advantage of it.

"It's probably the biggest obstacle that I've seen for many employees. People who have had increased responsibilities today, with work being more demanding, face one of the biggest hurdles in finding the time to enrol in educational programmes.

"The most successful companies of the future will be those that not only financially support it, but also demand it, respect it, make sure that time is available and reward it.'' Thrower's challenge She said that the second requirement for success involves those who aspire to corporate leadership positions. They need to determine where they see themselves in the new world.

They must determine if they are the type of employees that successful and enlightened companies of the future will want and need. Those who are creative, knowledgeable and with the interest and ability to look at old things in new ways.

"Everyone here can develop those skills and talents. Creative, out of the box thinking is not some special talent that you have to be born with. It can be developed and learned and practised. It is not related to IQ. But you will need to have the interest, the determination and the drive to move beyond your own traditional boundaries.

"You will need to continue with work while keeping up with the changes, broadening your education and knowledge outside of your current demands.

"This means making choices and making commitments and spending time, taking courses, learning, reading and thinking about a lot of new ideas and a lot of new issues.''