Costly bureaucratic procedures and the Not-Invented-Here syndrome have weighed down heavily on creativity for all of humanity's history, and they still weigh heavily in the U.S., although perhaps less so than in any other place at any other time.. Big companies that don't change with the times turn into bankrupt companies. So, the challenge is mutual. The big companies have to convince the creative people to present their ideas, and the creative people have to convince the big companies that the ideas really have value. This has gotten easier over time, and will continue to do so, as history claims more big companies whose bureaucratic procedures and Not-Invented-Here syndromes kill them. As evolutionary biologists say, death is the greatest teacher, and adaptation is the only way to avoid the Grim Reaper.

Mark White
white@profmexis.sar.net
Mexico City

Dear Dr. White:

I hope you're right. Much as the realities of the marketplace force companies to look away from small supplies in the interests of controlling costs, a newer and perhaps more powerful reality is now forcing them to reconsider the need to locate and adopt innovative products from the outside. I think this is evident in the actions of Home Depot, as I described them in the column: Though committed to the vastest possible economies of scale in purchasing, Home Depot keeps an eagle eye out for bold new products, regardless of the source.

Thanks for sharing the thoughts. See you next week.

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