*This is the second of a multi-part blog exploring key points from Tony Wagner's book Creating Innovators. If you haven't read it yet, I highly
recommend doing so. You will find it worth your time as an educator and, if you have kids, as a parent. Creating Innovators can be found on Amazon here. Also, please be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section as I am interested in how this book challenges you (or doesn't) as an educational leader.
In the first entry of Creating Innovators: Why It Needs Our Attention, we took a critical look at creativity and innovation in the United States. The data appears to show that we are losing our edge as the most creative and innovative country on the planet. Various factors were proposed as culprits to this loss including overprotective parents, stifling educators, and standardized assessments. (Your thoughts are still welcome.) Regardless of what or who is to blame, a fundamental reason to reinvigorate creativity and innovation in the U.S. exists: economic.
Consider the following stats offered by Tony Wagner in Creating Innovators:
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According to the 2010 Census, the percentage of Americans who now work has dropped to 58.2%. This is the lowest since women entered the workforce.
- Employment for 16 to 29 year olds was 55.3% compared with 67.3% in 2000. This is the lowest since World War II.
- Real median household income has declined nearly 11% in the last decade.
- More than 37% of young families (those under 30) are living in poverty (disproportionately minority). With a large number of young families living in poverty, we know as educators that this translates to a large number of kids living in poverty. The latest figure is hovering right around 25% with a disproportionate number of those being minority children.
- 15% of the total population is living in poverty (disproportionately minority).
No doubt the Great Recession has been a catalyst for these tough numbers. But, we have known for several decades that the eroding of low/middle-skilled, high-wage jobs moving across our borders or being replaced with technology has made finding a good paying job a real challenge for many. What is more troubling is that blue collar positions are no longer the only jobs at risk. With continued technological innovation, global connectivity, and improved world-wide education, white collar and high-skilled jobs are now in the cross-hairs. New York Times' columnist and author Tom Friedman, in a talk to the World Affairs Council of Northern California, explained to the group that "the central, socio-economic fact for the hyper-connected world is that average is officially over... because every boss today has cheaper, faster, more efficient access to above average automation, above average software, above average robotics, above average cheaper labor, and above average cheap genius." Friedman shared further that jobs are being pulled in three directions all at the same time "up (require more skill), out (done with machines or overseas), and down (eliminated to history)."
So, what is necessary to improve the employment stats for current workers and insure our young people have the skills necessary to not only stay gainfully employed but also have a positive impact on the world around them? Innovation. (What did you expect considering the emphasis of this blog? :) And when I speak of innovation, I mean more than just someone creating the next great piece of software, medical breakthrough, or renewable energy source though these are obviously important. Current and future workers must now be willing to constantly educate and reinvent themselves, shift how they engage and interact with people, and consider new and creative ways to serve others. In
Creating Innovators, Wagner offers a quality overview of speeches, articles, and reports reinforcing the need for a consistent focus on innovation:
- According to a 2008 Conference Board report, "U.S. employers rate creativity/innovation among the top five skills that will increase in importance over the next five years, and stimulating innovation/creativity and enabling entrepreneurship is among the top 10 challenges of U.S. CEO's.
- In a 2010 McKinsey & Company global survey, 84 percent of executives say innovation is extremely important to their company's growth strategy.
- A 2010 report entitled "Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited: Rapidly Approaching Category 5," prepared for the presidents of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine, asserts, "America's competitive position in the world now faces even greater challenges, exacerbated by the economic turmoil of the last few years and by the rapid and persistent worldwide advance of education, knowledge, innovation, investment, and industrial infrastructure." The report calls for "an urgent national dialogue to ensure the future competitiveness, innovation capacity, economic vitality, and job creation in the opening decades of this century."
- In April 2011, Captain Porter and Colonel Mark Mykleby, who worked as special strategic assistants to Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time, published a paper about the future of U.S. security that has gained considerable attention. They argue that we must move from a policy of containment to one of "sustainment." To increase our national security, our first priority should be "intellectual capital and sustainable infrastructure of education, health and social services to provide for the continuing development and growth of America's youth... We are losing our traditional role of innovation dominance in leading edge technologies and the sciences."
- Perhaps the most significant survey related to innovation was conducted in 2011 by GE, which interviewed a thousand senior business executives in twelve countries. They found that "95% of respondents believe innovation is the main lever for a more competitive national economy and 88% of respondents believe innovation is the best way to create jobs in their country." But the most stunning findings were about the kinds of innovation that will be most important - and the differences between the innovations of the past versus what they are likely to be in the future. A remarkable 69 percent of the respondents agreed "today innovation is more driven by people's creativity than by high-level scientific research." And 77 percent agreed, "the greatest innovations of the 21st century will be those that have helped to address human needs more than those that had created the most profit..."; 90 percent believe innovation to be the main lever for greener national economies; 85 percent are confident innovation improvement environmental quality; 58 percent said creative people on the team was the number one factor in helping companies innovate.
These points are compelling, but two findings of the GE survey are particularly encouraging to me:
- A remarkable 69 percent of the respondents agreed "today innovation is more driven by people's creativity than by high-level scientific research,"
- And 77 percent agreed, "the greatest innovations of the 21st century will be those that have helped to address human needs more than those that had created the most profit."
A couple of thoughts come to mind when I read this data. First, anyone who desires to do so can innovate. Being a physicist, computer scientist, or engineer is not a requirement. We need to harness everyone's collective creativity. The sooner the better. Second, I appreciate the attention being given to addressing human needs more than profit. Do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that businesses should not be concerned with making a profit. Employees are counting on it. However, profits must come in a responsible way that does not cause great harm. (The mortgage crisis comes to mind here.) Companies that can balance profits with improving the human condition have a better chance of making more money in my opinion. Not only will people be more apt to become loyal patrons, but these companies stand a better chance of attracting the best, innovative talent. Millenials, in particular, are now the largest generation of people on the planet and have entered or are entering the workforce. Research continues to show that these young people are looking to have a positive impact on those around them right now.
Now that we have spent some time making the case for creating innovators, the next post in the series will focus on how we can get this done. Our current education system, with the exception of some outliers, does little to support instilling innovation in young people. Exacerbating this issue is that many of the education reforms currently in play are reinforcing the old model. In the meantime, though, I am interested in your thoughts on what was presented above.
- What do you agree with? Disagree with? Why?
- What do you find most encouraging as an educational leader? Discouraging? Why or why not?
- If you chose to watch the Friedman video, what did you find most intriguing? Useful?
Creating Innovators: Why It Needs Our Attention (Part I)
Creating Innovators: What Does An Innovator Look Like? (Part III)
#jobs #TomFriedman #economy #TonyWagner #CreatingInnovators