When I studied innovation management at UCLA during my late 1970’s MBA program my research reveal three levels.
One is intra-organizational where a champion drives changes in product or process. The second is innovation diffusion within society where a new product, idea or process is launched with early adopters. These early adopters become the vectors in the rollout to the rest of society.
The third is massive innovation projects like the transcontinental railroad or commercial air transportation require a different innovation approach.
These Big Innovations which transform society usually start with ideas of the champion and initial diffusion through early adopters. But at some point they require two additional drivers:
First is a system design that will assure that all aspects are built in a coordinated, timely and adequately funded manner.
Second is full backing of governance leadership.
K-12 eLearning adoption has reached the “Big Innovation” point.
The intra-organizational innovation for eLearning is happening. Example: Vail District with 1:1 computing in Empire High School.
The innovation diffusion is happening. Example: MIT Media Labs’ $100 laptop initiative.
eSATS has created the Arizona systems design for adoption of eLearning in units of eLearning Centered Schools within a fully developed statewide infrastructure. But what about the other half of Big Innovation?
The news is certainly abuzz with our governance leadership’s interest in education. Some recent news articles:
Downtown (Phoenix) Forum to Focus on Education (Business Journal 11/11/05) -- $200 million new investment for university campuses, with P-20 plan.
Researchers Tally Costs of Education Failings (11/2/05 Education Week) $200 billion in economic losses and future economic an educational leadership will be lost if we do not invest in and fix K-12 education.
(Michael) Crow Leads Forum on K-12, Costs (11/21/05 Arizona Republic) In NYC, university leaders met and proclaimed that they must use their influence to improve K-12 education (educated teachers) and produce more science, math and engineering majors.
Janet Napolitano -- Message of the week (11/16/05 – weekly email letter) Our governor joined dozens of governors in an education summit in North Carolina – Hunt Institute. Teacher quality, partnerships, full day kindergarten and integration of education preschool to post graduate work (P-20).
Twenty years into the information age and eLearning “small” innovation our governance leadership continues to delivering familiar imperatives about K-12 education problems and espousing well developed legacy solutions.
But at a certain point in time Big Innovation reaches the tipping point.
At that tipping point an innovative governance leader embraces Big Innovation. After 30 years of rocket research John F Kennedy proclaimed, “Before the end of this decade (1960’s) we will put a man on the moon and bring him home safely.” United States seized leadership of the space age and has kept it for 50 years.
Some time this next month, this next year, this next ???, a state leader somewhere will proclaim that eLearning is the future of K-12 education and commit to statewide implementation. eSATS or a similar systems design will be rolled out on John Kennedy’s 10 year time schedule. That state will leap so far ahead in teacher quality, student graduation rates, university performance and workforce competitive advantage that it will lead the world for decades.
That is what “Big Innovation” is all about.
