BIF Speak - Government
John Kao Q&A: How the U.S. Can Reclaim its Innovation Edge (and why Rhode Island may hold the key!)
Today’s conversation on innovation typically focuses on individual companies or market sectors, but with his new book, Innovation Nation, Business Innovation Factory Research Advisor John Kao takes the talk to a whole new level: how can you innovate a country?
Kao may just have the most interesting–and diverse–resume of anyone I’ve come across. A celebrated jazz pianist, he’s toured with Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention band, produced several movies including sex, lies & videotape, taught at Harvard Business School for 14 years, wrote a best-selling book called Jamming, founded a few firms and consulted to big companies, small start-ups and government agencies around the world. Along the way, he also trained in philosophy with a B.A from Yale, psychiatry with a M.D. from Yale Medical and also business with a M.B.A from Harvard Business.
John Kao Joins BIF Research Advisory Council
I'm thrilled to announce that John Kao has joined our research advisory council. Considered a leading authority on the subjects of innovation, organizational transformation and digital media, John was dubbed “Mr.Creativity” and a “serial innovator” by the Economist. He describes his job as an “instigator of new things.”
The Hidden Tyranny of Transparency
"Every truly great accomplishment is at first impossible," said U.S. Homeland Security Under Secretary for research and development Jay Cohen to an audience of innovators at BIF-3 on October 11th. Prior to his post with Homeland Security, Cohen was head of naval research. His directive was very clear: make the navy more innovative. "When I took over naval research, it was an organization with 232 years of tradition unhampered by progress," he said.
BIF Research Advisor Bruce Nussbaum on the need for a national innovation policy
BIF-4 co-host and BIF research advisor Bruce Nussbaum writes about America's need for a national innovation policy. In Time For a National Innovation Policy. McCain And Obama Need To Get Real Bruce challenges his readers - and our presidential contenders - to start a conversation in earnest on the need for a policy that goes beyond federal government support of technology, math and science.
Here at the Business Innovation Factory, we believe our entire nation must compete in an increasingly complex, global economy where innovation and knowledge are the primary drivers of growth. It is not technology that is getting in the way of progress in the areas that matter most: like health care, public safety, education, and quality of life. It's people. Humans and the organizations we live in are stubbornly resistant to change and do not know how to work and play nicely together across boundaries. What else are we missing? A road map for systems level experimentation.
Thanks to the Men and Women Who Serve
Memorial Day is an important day of reflection for me. Baseball and barbecues aren’t bad either. I am grateful that so many American men and women choose to serve our country by serving in the military. We owe each of them our gratitude, respect, and support. I recently had the opportunity to see the amazing dedication and heart of our U.S military up close and personal. I was asked to participate in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC 75). It was an experience I will never forget.
Developing New Networks of Talent and Resource Should Be Driving Force for Ailing Auto Industry
Great op-ed piece in the New York Times yesterday called "Have You Driven a Bus or a Train Lately?" by guest contributor Robert Goodman.
In the midst of the current debate around bailing out the auto industry, Goodman argues that as a condition of financial assistance, Congress should insist that automakers shift from manufacturing just cars to becoming innovative "transportmakers."
"As transportmakers, the companies could produce vehicles for high-speed train and bus systems that would improve our travel options, reduce global warming, conserve energy, minimize accidents and generally improve the way we live."
Are We Semper Paratus?
No matter where you fall in the political spectrum, tomorrow's inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama will, I suspect, shepard in a renewed sense of purpose for Americans everywhere. It's no exaggeration to say that Obama is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. His campaign generated unprecedented citizen participation. The goal now is to convert the energy of the campaign into focused activism and volunteerism in critical areas that matter the most (healthcare, education, and energy independence come to mind.)
I'd like to share with you a speech, provided to us by guest contributor Mario Vittone, Chief Aviation Survival Technician for the United States Coast Guard. Written in 2006 for a Coast Guard Basic Training graduation, Vittone shares what it means, to him, to be a Guardian. The Coast Guard's motto is Semper Paratus (Always Ready). With eloquence, Mario relays the significance behind those words.
Here's Mario's speech...
BIF-3 Storyteller Irving Wladawski-Berger Named to Obama Innovation Team
BIF-3 storyteller Irving Wladawski-Berger was recently named to President-elect Barack Obama's Technology and Innovation Panel which will oversee his "Innovation Agenda," a set of policy proposals that will aim to make government operations more transparent, use high-technology to create jobs and get average citizens more involved in government.
Irving is a great friend of BIF and highly qualified to this post. Through his nearly 40-year career at IBM Irving has been involved with everything from the dawn of supercomputing, to the rise of Linux and open source and the birth of the Internet. Over the years, he's driven several of Big Blue's core business strategies and helped the company evolve into the powerhouse it is today. A couple of years ago he "partially retired" and headed to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to teach his first graduate seminar on advanced technologies, business transformation and innovation.
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