Re: Turning Research into Inventions and Jobs - BusinessWeek

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Bob Frankston" <bob2-39 () bobf frankston com>
Date: September 21, 2009 11:03:45 AM EDT
To: <dave () farber net>, "'ip'" <ip () v2 listbox com>
Cc: "Mark D Stahlman" <Newmedia () aol com>
Subject: RE: [IP] Turning Research into Inventions and Jobs -  
BusinessWeek

I wrote http://frankston.com/?n=OFI in response to this entrepreneur- 
chic model or the idea that we can just “innovate”. Innovation itself  
is a particular skill or approach like doing arithmetic. Perhaps I’m  
too close to this having been active in the “entrepreneurship/ 
innovation” scene for a few decades though only now it is chic. I  
worry that it’s coming back to the earlier meaning of impresario.

If we are going to teach entrepreneurship we must require that 90% of  
the classes be devoted to the failures because that is the norm and  
you learn from failures. If you only look at the successes then you  
might as well teach the lottery as an investment strategy or just blow  
bubbles (as per Mark Stahlman’s concern).

Sure we need to teach people about business beyond the lemonade stand  
model but let’s not eat our seed stock by saying that only those ideas  
with immediate commercial success are worthy of note. Entrepreneurs  
are useful but some are like horses with blinders – their success  
depends on not being distracted by larger concepts. This isn’t a put- 
down – OK, maybe it is because I get frustrated with people I can’t  
easily distract. It’s a recognition that we need to appreciate  
different skills and focus is an important skill. Focus can be a skill  
for researchers too but we also need those with other skills too  
including the political skills to rally people around projects with  
more scope than a single startup.

Even within a business we need to be wary about saying that everything  
has to be a profit center – we also need to appreciate those who  
contribute to the commons without trying to capture all the value. Is  
the purpose of a university to maximize its endowment?

That’s said, I better get back to trying to work with people to form  
companies …


From: David Farber [mailto:dave () farber net]
Sent: Monday, September 21, 2009 09:47
To: ip
Subject: [IP] Turning Research into Inventions and Jobs - BusinessWeek


http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2009/tc20090918_628309.htm

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