“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower” ...Steve Jobs
Part of the information that has been surfacing in my PhD research is the fact that all companies die. They do so because as they grow, they lose that creative edge and become more and more ponderous to manage. HR departments have profiles and generally the more off-beat and "not fitting the mould" types are systematically weeded out. The problem is, they tend to be the really creative people and having a location that supports the "misfits" in a way that allows innovation to exist and thrive is simply not allowed - in as much as these companies strive to be leaders in their areas, few manage the real task of innovation.
It was a group of eight people that broke away from Shockley Semiconductors and started Fairchild Semiconductors. They left because of Shockley's management style and went on to help create Silicon Valley. Two of these men in particular - Bob Noyce and Gordon Moore - would leave Fairchild and found Intel.
Today we ask what went wrong with RIM and their groundbreaking Blackberry. They stopped innovating. perhaps they felt comfortable - even complacent. Apple and Google on the other hand give us a model of companies that have continuously reinvented themselves through phenomenal innovation and in so doing building the most successful companies in the world.
Why do I mention all of this? I am embarking on what I view to be a new segment of a long career. I am looking to help people innovate in the educational environment as they face an uncertain future and unprecedented challenges to what they have become used to - even complacent with. Welcome to TOTB Planning & Architecture. The TOTB is a reminder and a motto - that what we need to do at all times is to "Think Outside The Box" because thinking within the confines of what is comfortable will not yield anything truly new.
Part of the information that has been surfacing in my PhD research is the fact that all companies die. They do so because as they grow, they lose that creative edge and become more and more ponderous to manage. HR departments have profiles and generally the more off-beat and "not fitting the mould" types are systematically weeded out. The problem is, they tend to be the really creative people and having a location that supports the "misfits" in a way that allows innovation to exist and thrive is simply not allowed - in as much as these companies strive to be leaders in their areas, few manage the real task of innovation.
It was a group of eight people that broke away from Shockley Semiconductors and started Fairchild Semiconductors. They left because of Shockley's management style and went on to help create Silicon Valley. Two of these men in particular - Bob Noyce and Gordon Moore - would leave Fairchild and found Intel.
Today we ask what went wrong with RIM and their groundbreaking Blackberry. They stopped innovating. perhaps they felt comfortable - even complacent. Apple and Google on the other hand give us a model of companies that have continuously reinvented themselves through phenomenal innovation and in so doing building the most successful companies in the world.
Why do I mention all of this? I am embarking on what I view to be a new segment of a long career. I am looking to help people innovate in the educational environment as they face an uncertain future and unprecedented challenges to what they have become used to - even complacent with. Welcome to TOTB Planning & Architecture. The TOTB is a reminder and a motto - that what we need to do at all times is to "Think Outside The Box" because thinking within the confines of what is comfortable will not yield anything truly new.
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