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Although key agents of change engineers generally keep a low profile, does Seth Godin have the answer with his latest book Linchpin?
Engineers and businesses are not surprisingly incredibly risk adverse. Employees are generally punished for failures and rewarded for consistent (yet mundane) work and attention to detail. Not exactly conducive to bold innovation. Businesses spend an inordinate amount of time limiting accountability and risk. Projects get divided up between the client, architect, structural engineer, detailer, manufacturer, installer and project manager with strict boundaries between each. Again not an ideal environment for collaboration and innovation.
The businesses who will succeed in the future are those that can overcome these structural limitations. Critical will be the ability to combine systematic, left brain thinking with creative and social skills. Change will not come from following established methodologies inside industry standard structures. Although traditional engineering tools will remain important, we need to connect and engage across traditional boundaries, embrace artistry and be proactive.
Most importantly we must acknowledge our ingrained resistance to stuffing up, to being laughed at by others. This is what prevents us from standing out and doing truly meaningful work.
Posted February 4, 2010 by by Mike Percy