Education driving Innovation in The World Is Flat
In his bestseller, "The World Is Flat", Thomas L. Friedman elaborates on the role of our style of Education driving Innovation.
Bill Gates View
Specifically, when Friedman asked Bill Gates, the Founder of Microsoft, about the the "supposed American Education advantage - an education that stresses creativity, not rote learning", Gates dismissed this entirely. Gates believes that it is a sad mistake for the (American) people to think that the rote-learning systems of China and Japan can't turn out Innovation. Gates even goes on to say "Who has the most creative video games in the world? Japan! I never met those 'rote people' ...Some of my best software developers are Japanese."
Selected references:
Leading eBook on Creativity and Innovation in Business
Creativity and Innovation Best Practices
Creativity and Innovation Case Studies
The Innovation Index
Top 50 innovative companies in the world
Bill Gates View
Specifically, when Friedman asked Bill Gates, the Founder of Microsoft, about the the "supposed American Education advantage - an education that stresses creativity, not rote learning", Gates dismissed this entirely. Gates believes that it is a sad mistake for the (American) people to think that the rote-learning systems of China and Japan can't turn out Innovation. Gates even goes on to say "Who has the most creative video games in the world? Japan! I never met those 'rote people' ...Some of my best software developers are Japanese."
Selected references:
Leading eBook on Creativity and Innovation in Business
Creativity and Innovation Best Practices
Creativity and Innovation Case Studies
The Innovation Index
Top 50 innovative companies in the world
Race to the Top
Friedman stresses that "Young Chinese, Indians, and Poles are not racing us to the bottom. They are racing us to the top." Further, Friedman claims that they want to dominate the world "by creating the companies of the future, ones that people all over the world will admire and clamor to work for." He gives an example of a Chinese American who was working for Microsoft, and accompanied Gates on visits to China. According to him, Gates is the equivalent of the modern rock star in China. The young people in China would do anything to hear Gates speak, including scalping tickets. Jerry Yang, the co-founder of Yahoo!, is also in the same category.
And then Friedman makes a statement that reverberates with a loud echo (and bass) throughout the entire book:
"In China today, Bill Gates is Britney Spears. In America today, Britney Spears is Britney Spears - and that is our problem"
Indeed.
Our Production
According to most statistics, the number of foreign graduate students in the U.S. colleges in Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering are greater than 60%, in some cases even more than 90%. Most graduate students are from Asia. We are not producing the high number of Scientists, Mathematicians and the Engineers of the future, as we used to throughout the Twentieth century, to create future Innovations. It appears that the world is producing more intellectual talent, and will continue to produce more in the immediate future - and the irony is that the world is coming to the U.S. colleges to learn to become Innovative.
Growth of Education in China
Friedman observes that China today is becoming increasingly confident of their K-12 education system, of their fundamental strengths in Math and Sciences, and the Chinese youth are getting ready to "unleash their creative, innovative juices." Wu Qidi, China's vice minister of education, believes that nurturing more "creative thinking and entrepreneurship are the exact issues we are putting attention to today." Education overhaul is undergoing a massive movement in China. Large number of scholars, teachers and professors who have been educated in America and Europe are returning and are imparting changes to the classrooms and learning in China - even Arts is now getting taught. China believes that Education will pave the road to the future. And China has the roots of inventions dating back to the compass, papermaking, printing and gunpowder to back this claim. It is just a matter of time. And according to Gates, the Microsoft Research Asia based in Beijing has become the most productive research arm in the Microsoft system "in terms of the quality of ideas that they are turning out. It is mind-blowing."
Questions, Questions
These raises some important questions about the future of Education and Innovation here in the U.S.:
Do we need to change our Education system to compete versus the world, and create more Innovation in the future?How do we create more Scientists, Mathematicians and Engineers today and in the future?Do we believe that we can simply "outsource" the intellectual talent from abroad and create the type of Innovation that we have been known for?In thirty years, which Innovative companies in the world will be in the Top 100 list?
There are no easy answers to any of these questions as our policy makers will ascertain.
But at least this much is certain: The role of Education, and in particular, Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering, is fundamental to Innovation. And the more Scientists, Mathematicians and Engineers we produce, the more Innovation we can expect in the future.
Download Apple's Innovation Strategy and Learn how Steve Jobs made Apple the #1 Innovative company in the world.
Download Now
Download market leading Creativity and Innovation in Business eBook. 212-page collection of over 55 best practices, case studies, and insights on the current state of Creativity and Innovation in Business at Top Innovators including Apple, Google, Netflix, 3M, Frito Lay, Johnson & Johnson, Proctor & Gamble, Toyota, GE, BMW, Deloitte, Southwest, Nike, IBM, Dell and more. "Your report from the eBook and definitive guide was the primary reference that we used." Used by over 500 leading organizations including HP, Pepsi, EDS, J&J, Nokia...
Download Now
Selected references:
Leading eBook on Creativity and Innovation in Business
Creativity and Innovation Best Practices
Creativity and Innovation Case Studies
The Innovation Index
Top 50 innovative companies in the worldAcknowledgement:
Thomas L. Friedman, "The World Is Flat"
Friedman stresses that "Young Chinese, Indians, and Poles are not racing us to the bottom. They are racing us to the top." Further, Friedman claims that they want to dominate the world "by creating the companies of the future, ones that people all over the world will admire and clamor to work for." He gives an example of a Chinese American who was working for Microsoft, and accompanied Gates on visits to China. According to him, Gates is the equivalent of the modern rock star in China. The young people in China would do anything to hear Gates speak, including scalping tickets. Jerry Yang, the co-founder of Yahoo!, is also in the same category.
And then Friedman makes a statement that reverberates with a loud echo (and bass) throughout the entire book:
"In China today, Bill Gates is Britney Spears. In America today, Britney Spears is Britney Spears - and that is our problem"
Indeed.
Our Production
According to most statistics, the number of foreign graduate students in the U.S. colleges in Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering are greater than 60%, in some cases even more than 90%. Most graduate students are from Asia. We are not producing the high number of Scientists, Mathematicians and the Engineers of the future, as we used to throughout the Twentieth century, to create future Innovations. It appears that the world is producing more intellectual talent, and will continue to produce more in the immediate future - and the irony is that the world is coming to the U.S. colleges to learn to become Innovative.
Growth of Education in China
Friedman observes that China today is becoming increasingly confident of their K-12 education system, of their fundamental strengths in Math and Sciences, and the Chinese youth are getting ready to "unleash their creative, innovative juices." Wu Qidi, China's vice minister of education, believes that nurturing more "creative thinking and entrepreneurship are the exact issues we are putting attention to today." Education overhaul is undergoing a massive movement in China. Large number of scholars, teachers and professors who have been educated in America and Europe are returning and are imparting changes to the classrooms and learning in China - even Arts is now getting taught. China believes that Education will pave the road to the future. And China has the roots of inventions dating back to the compass, papermaking, printing and gunpowder to back this claim. It is just a matter of time. And according to Gates, the Microsoft Research Asia based in Beijing has become the most productive research arm in the Microsoft system "in terms of the quality of ideas that they are turning out. It is mind-blowing."
Questions, Questions
These raises some important questions about the future of Education and Innovation here in the U.S.:
Do we need to change our Education system to compete versus the world, and create more Innovation in the future?How do we create more Scientists, Mathematicians and Engineers today and in the future?Do we believe that we can simply "outsource" the intellectual talent from abroad and create the type of Innovation that we have been known for?In thirty years, which Innovative companies in the world will be in the Top 100 list?
There are no easy answers to any of these questions as our policy makers will ascertain.
But at least this much is certain: The role of Education, and in particular, Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering, is fundamental to Innovation. And the more Scientists, Mathematicians and Engineers we produce, the more Innovation we can expect in the future.
Download Apple's Innovation Strategy and Learn how Steve Jobs made Apple the #1 Innovative company in the world.
Download Now
Download market leading Creativity and Innovation in Business eBook. 212-page collection of over 55 best practices, case studies, and insights on the current state of Creativity and Innovation in Business at Top Innovators including Apple, Google, Netflix, 3M, Frito Lay, Johnson & Johnson, Proctor & Gamble, Toyota, GE, BMW, Deloitte, Southwest, Nike, IBM, Dell and more. "Your report from the eBook and definitive guide was the primary reference that we used." Used by over 500 leading organizations including HP, Pepsi, EDS, J&J, Nokia...Download Now
Selected references:
Leading eBook on Creativity and Innovation in Business
Creativity and Innovation Best Practices
Creativity and Innovation Case Studies
The Innovation Index
Top 50 innovative companies in the worldAcknowledgement:
Thomas L. Friedman, "The World Is Flat"
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