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The primary focus of our business is information systems software. This involves computers and communication which have given rise to some of the most controversial issues of our age. On this page we offer our own editorial contribution.InnovationHistory demonstrates that most great innovations were accomplished by committed indivduals running uphill into a strong headwind dodging morons trying to trip them along the way.
This metaphor emphasizes that adversity seems to have been a catalyst for innovation. Invention lore is full of examples from the excommunication of Galileo to the torment suffered by Edison at the hands of the patent bureaucracy. One can visualize the unfortunate prehistoric enthusiastically introducing the first crude wheel only to be greeted by a hail of stones.It seems that the Canadian Government has decided to focus on innovation as a factor in making Canada's economy more competative. The following letter describes the first public steps in this initiative.
Two pages from the "Achieving Excellence" document referenced in Mr Rock's letter are displayed below. They outline the Canadian Government's goals and priorities for its "Innovation Strategy". Further details may be found on their website http://www.innovationstrategy.gc.ca
It was hardly surprising that the Federal Poobaas decided to launch their "Innovation Summit" in the middle of the Golden Triangle on the campus of the one of the premier research institutions in the country. I decided to go and had little difficulty finding the place. Below is the agenda for the day and a list of the people who attended the discussion group in which I participated.
A cynic might suggest that the series of "Innovation Summits" which began at the University of Waterloo on May 23, 2002 is a blatant effort by Federal Government policymakers to enlist the credibility of academic, business and local community leaders for an initiative that in some major respects appears to impinge on areas of "Provincial" responsibility(particularly education). Fortunately several of the members of our discussion group offered e-mail feedback on the results of the day and I offer the following analysis from one of the other participants."Fiona: Thanks for being so quick with this follow-up. I am sure we all appreciate your added effort which must have come at the end of a long, hard day. It was a pleasure having you as our facilitator. Not sure if your team moves on with the road show or not. My hope is that you do and that you have some content support for the next summit, and that you can bring into the primary sessions some of the modifications to the process and content talked about during yesterday's wrap session. A huge concern that several of us seemed to have was that many of the specific additions and changes suggested during the breakouts have been "dumbed down" or have had the edge taken off during the distillation process. My mental notes from yesterday have a much stronger tone to them, and dealt with some specifics... certainly not completely developed ideas but there were some smart and creative people at that summit (as well as in our room!) who came up with enthusiastic and appropriate changes and additions, and it would be a shame to waste all that potential by making our message to Industry Canada more diplomatic or politically correct... I think we empathize with the tricky juggling act your team has to execute during this exercise but don't loose the edge! You might also forward a note to Industry Canada's technical staff that Targets should be: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-phased. Not an original thought -- management 101 as you know -- but one that seems to have alluded them. On a positive note, I enjoyed meeting all of you. We were a diverse assembly drawn from dissimilar backgrounds and professional communities but I think there was a good creative chemistry there." You may be hearing a lot about the formulation of this "Innovation" initiative in the coming months and about its impact in future years. I hope that this has been a worthwhile introduction to the process. As for the erstwhile innovator attempting somewhere to extend the boundaries of human endeavour he/she may still be well advised to watch out for flying rocks. |
