Homecoming
“All it takes are the policies to tap that potential — to ignite that spark of creativity and ingenuity — which has always been at the heart of who we are and how we succeed.”
(Who said this? - find out by reading the posting below…)
I feel at home in Europe, having grown up a citizen of cultures spanning the Atlantic. I’m what’s often called a Third Culture Kid.
So it was with great enthusiasm that I recently spent a week in Brussels at the invitation of my friend Attila Toth and the European Business Network to meet with members of the European Parliament and a vast network of businesses . Although I spent a fair amount of my early childhood in Europe and have traveled there countless times as an adult, this trip left me with an entirely new set of insights into Europe, its challenges and opportunities for the coming decades.
I spoke with numerous people in the EU about the whole notion of developing policies for a European Innovation Zone, something that is slightly anathema in the US where we admittedly prefer free market innovation to most economic policy. But the EU is not the US. There are 27 countries whose economies need to be somehow aligned - a challenge on every level.
Here is what I learned during my visit:
First of all, while I was familiar with the EU, I was still amazed by the sheer complexity of the political machine needed to govern the EU. The level of government and bureaucracy required to bring together the 27 countries that make up the EU dwarfs Washington DC. Simple things like language translation require a seven-story two city-block size building. You are overwhelmed with a sense of the constant coordination that is required to keep this place moving.
Since the official language of EU business and communications is English, there is a bright light in all of the chaos. For those who have mastery of English this is a wonderful place to bridge dozens of cultures with ease. Mind you that this does not mean someone born in a country whose native tongue us English has an advantage - I said those who have “mastery of” English! Oh, and if you’re thinking that a united Europe means that any single national has lost one gram of his or her national pride, forget it! If anything national pride is even more important in differentiating yourself from the crowd.
Second, the emphasis on innovation being placed by the EU is staggering. For instance, last year, 2009, was dubbed “The year of Creativity and Innovation” in the EU. So I have to ask, is there really such as thing as a “year” of Creativity and Innovation? Isn’t it an ongoing process?
None-the-less, both the talk about the importance of innovation and the investment being made in it is striking. Especially for someone who comes form a country where innovation is touted as a national advantage. Of course, much of this is due to the EU collectively still seeing itself in catch up mode as far as defining its innovation stature on a world stage. But when?
Not anytime soon. The recent problems with the debt being accumulated, especially by member states such as Greece and Portugal, is undermining much of the more strategic agenda of the EU.
As an example take the Lisbon Strategy, which set out in 2000 to establish the EU as the most competitive economy in the world with full employment by 2010. It seems to me that the EU is on a perpetual rolling 10-year strategy. That may just be a testament to how difficult the task of unification really is. But it’s also a commentary on the degree to which this has become a challenge for every developed economy.
If I sound pessimistic about the EU, then let me be clear about this - I am not! I see the efforts being undertaken by the EU as absolutely vital to not only the EU but to the health of the global economy and the global innovation agenda. If anything the EU is creating what is arguably the most visible and sincere campaign to advertise and fund innovation in the world. The target of SMBs/SMEs is absolute correct; innovation has to be fueled in the ranks of entrepreneurs. The intense level of discussion and debate around innovation is equally important. And the diversity of cultures certainly helps provide diversity in the dialog around innovation.
So can the EU create policy to fuel innovation? While the US parochial view may be that policy is detrimental to innovation - we love the free market - it’s worth noting that the right incentives for entrepreneurs and the right sort of climate can be created through tax policy, regional incubators and educational investment in innovation. What’s not clear is how long it will take for all of this to overcome the cultural inertia that is pulling the EU in 27 different directions. It’s certainly a fascinating social experiment. We often play up the importance of diversity in creating better innovation. So why not in this case?
Innovation is a global agenda. It’s going to take enormous diversity as well as ingenuity to help us solve many of the problems facing the world. Regardless of where we call home none of us can afford the luxury of closing the door on the rest of the world and isolating ourselves within the relatively narrow view of any single nation.
- tk
BTW - So who said, “All it takes are the policies to tap that potential — to ignite that spark of creativity and ingenuity — which has always been at the heart of who we are and how we succeed.”?
Barak Obama in his Saturday morning address on August 1st. Surprised? Do you agree?
Tags: eu, europe, innovation, obama, third culture
