What is Innovation?

By Shari

The U.S. has lost its edge as an international leader in innovation. Featured on the Colbert Report, author John Kao had a hilariously tragic discussion with Stephen Colbert centered on the idea that perhaps the U.S. isn't the front runner we've been brainwashed to think we are in the arena of leading edge innovation...except perhaps in the realm of war. Oh yea...and bailing out banks at tax payer expense.

Here's what I think is an excellent perspective on the Federal Reserve manipulation of the open market...or...Government economics:

(From comment on Business Week Online...)
Mar 13, 2008 10:05 PM GMT

"...So this is basically a bail out for the banks without bailing out the people with the loans? Also, "in theory" the banks are supposed to then start lending money again? Has anybody heard of this happening? What I've heard is that banks aren't lending anybody anything. It's a scam. Our currency is worthless, we have the stupidest trade policy on the planet and not one person from either party is talking about how to fix it...."

There could be heated arguments into the dark of night about this issue, however, the truth is, we've lost our edge. Why? Because our national leaders have found it more important to dominate than to collaborate, and our national focus has shifted gears from bettering the condition for our people, to carving off bigger chunks of the world which to control. Enough, already!

We are currently embroiled in a war costing billions of dollars on a daily basis. Yet, our nation's schools are in poor condition and getting worse. The U.S. has have cutting edge medical facilities and technology, yet a sizable percentage of our country's people can't afford health insurance or affordably priced medical care. Only the very rich or the very poor have appreciable access to the U.S. health care system. Now, with a recession banging at our door, unemployment numbers are sky rocketing as companies do what they have to do to survive - including relocating operating facilities to other countries. Oh yea, we have lots of "issues" over here on Turtle Island.

Rather than looking to innovative ideas for transforming our economies, we are fighting to keep old, worn out ideologies in place. For example, it's taken the timber industry in the Northwest over 20 years to face the fact that "business as usual" is gone. And they're pissed off, let me tell ya! No amount of finger pointing and backroom huddles is going to change the fact that we either innovate and change...or wither and die economically. So, pull your heads out of that dark scary place, boys. Shake out the cobwebs. Get back in the thinking game.

So, what IS innovation? According to Innovation maverick and thought leader John Kao, creativity is:

"...a set of capabilities that allows an individual or group or team ...or country to continually realize its desired future."

But Kao says America's old adage "What's good for America is good for the world" has necessarily shifted to a new truism: "What's good for the world is good for America."

Let's THINK about that...really digest it.

What is good for the world?

Peace

Peace is good for the world.

John Kao is the author of Innovation Nation. He recently spoke in Finland about innovation on a global scale. Though polite and gracious, Kao doesn't mince words about the U.S. faltering position among the world's Innovation Nations.