Keep Inventing the Future!
02/03/03
Dan Burrus, in his December TechnoTrends Newsletter, talks about the danger of allowing other countries to take the high ground in technology R&D: "What if China had more than just cheap labor? What if it also had cheap knowledge workers? What if it set its goal on becoming the leading technology innovator in the world and addressed it with the same determination as Japan exhibited when it focused on quality manufacturing? What if China had more scientists and engineers than the United States? China is currently working at making these 'what ifs' a reality. Schools in the US grant about 70,000 undergraduate degrees in electrical engineering a year and 37,000 graduate and doctoral degrees. In contrast, China produces 200,000 electrical engineers and graduates over 600,000 engineers every year! Fifty-four percent of US engineering doctorates are foreign students. Now, however, many of the new foreign graduates are taking their higher education and knowledge back home, while many former graduates have been laid off and have already headed back. For example, of the more than 400,000 Chinese who have studied overseas in the past two decades, over 140,000 have moved back to China. China is in the process of opening 35 special software universities this year alone."
While American companies are cutting costs and R&D in the wake of economic realities, our global competitors are investing in the future to take advantage of the future's killer apps and the profits they will generate. Other nations view our low interest and commitment to new technology and innovation, our dearth of engineering graduates, our low penetration of broadband, and our underfunding of R&D as their window of opportunity to jump ahead. In spite of our President's call to invest in hydrogen engines, the amount of money invested in government-funded R&D is less than half of what we spent back in the 1950s! Microsoft outspends the total U.S. Defense Department's R&D budget by a factor of three. Many world leaders are moving their R&D efforts from the U.S. to other countries. Sony, Sun and GE are already operating large new research labs in China. The dot.com meltdown was not an end to the value of technology as a key driver of value.
Let me close with another concrete suggestion by my colleague and futurist, Dan Burrus: "E-content management, e-transaction and payment systems, e-supply chain management, e-product configuration engines, e-customer personalization systems, e-enabled call centers and help desks, and e-procurement systems are just a few ways technology is revolutionizing organizations. For example, over the next several years, Chevron estimates that it will save over $11 billion using e-procurement systems alone. ... Pick a process and add an 'e' and you will most likely have the beginning of an important strategy."
Take this week to be a voice for investing in the future instead of hunkering down in defense of the past. We can't afford to fall behind in technology. They tried to close the U.S. patent office at the turn of the 20th century because they thought everything had been invented. Let's not make the same mistake in the 21st Century; the competition is too keen to give them the advantage.
A PAULSON QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Be like the music in an action movie that lets the audience know that there is danger nearby. Instead of just announcing surprise changes, sell the need for the change first by identifying unanticipated problems and looming obstacles worth overcoming." --Terry Paulson, PhD, CSP, CPAE
MONDAY'S MIRTHFUL MOMENT
Dr. Ann Weeks in her WEEKS OF FUN # 343 shares five of the things you don't want to hear from your real estate agent when you go to settlement on your new home. Enjoy as long as it doesn't happen to you!
1. "I think unexplained crop circles add a unique flair to any home's garden."
2. "Actually, it's only the rear portion of the yard that overlaps the ancient Indian burial ground."
3. "Yes, the last owner did donate the house to the Hell's Angels, but I'm told that the judge has ordered them not to come within 50 feet of it."
4. "One bleeding toilet doesn't necessarily mean it's haunted."
5. "Your neighbor has assured me that, technically, they're not 'killer' bees."
When you keep your eyes open for mirth, you just may find it! Hope this kicks off your morning and helps get your mood adjusted for the week. Now, get busy MAKING CHANGE WORK and have some fun along the way!...