Getting real about innovation

In most people`s minds, technology will always be able to evolve in such a way to meet the demands to make lives simpler, safer and rich with information and other multimedia experiences, but IBM`s global technology strategist`s vision of the future struck a definite note of caution.

Is it possible that we are taking technological innovation in the 21^st Century too much for granted?

In a fascinating personal perspective on future technologies, IBM`s Nick Donofrio sketched a rough outline of the future for his audience at the Sandton Convention Centre this week, placing technologies like "millipede storage", "spintronics", and "molecular cascading" on the technological horizon.

However, Donofrio cautioned that in his view the nature of innovation was changing and that in the future it would be far more of a challenge.

It would seem that if the world is to get real about future innovation, an open and standard development environment will be essential to enable collaboration on a global level.

Warwick Ashford, portals managing editor, ITWeb

According to Donofrio, one of the biggest challenges will be striking the right balance between the need to protect intellectual property and the need to develop new technologies and applications of existing technologies using open industry standards.

It would seem that if the world is to get real about future innovation, an open and standard development environment will be essential to enable collaboration on a global level.

Will globalisation in the 21^st Century come to have a new and positive meaning in terms of technological innovation?

From Donofrio`s perspective, the answer would be a definite "yes". He says innovation will have to become a global process in which the required talent will be drawn from wherever it is found. He went as far as saying it would be critical to enable the best world talent to contribute wherever needed.

Another important requirement of future technological innovation from Donofrio`s point of view is a multi-disciplinary approach to the process. By this he means innovation will demand a spread of skills, such as business skills, technology skills and marketing skills.

Having outlined the likely demands of innovation in the future, Donofrio reflected there was a lot of work to be done to prepare young people to be able to meet the demands they will face.

In the past 10 years there has been a lot of debate in SA about education that has concentrated on various cultural issues, but how much attention has been given to technology?

If Donofrio is correct in his assertion that the importance of education increases during times of change and that we are not yet teaching younger generations of people what they need to know and how they need to think to be innovative in future, it is obvious that some serious thought needs to be given to making changes to the way our children are being educated.

Given this perspective, the importance of improving the quality of education in SA is more important than ever, especially if we are to have any hope of becoming leaders in world technology as suggested by many, including several members of government.

Surely government should be paying more attention to this issue? Instead of spending time and money rewriting the imperfect history of the country, the government would do better to commit all available resources to ensuring future generations of South Africans have the skills they will require to be successful.

Donofrio told the conference hall packed with IBM customers and partners that SA should take a step towards becoming a world leader by putting innovation on the national agenda.

Hopefully, all who hear this message will exert all possible influence to ensure Donofrio`s call is heeded in a meaningful way; otherwise SA may end up with an imperfect future as well as an imperfect past.