Innovation, Not Just For NASA Engineers!

The recent landing of the robotic Mars rover Curiosity by NASA has me thinking about the magic of innovation.  Thousands of things had to go just right in order for those involved to achieve such a task.  Of course, years of planning, testing, learning by both mistake and success led to this outcome but the end result is certainly magnificent!

It's easy to believe that such innovation belongs only in the fields of science, engineering, computer technology, etc.  But as one who has a long history and a continuing connectedness in non-profit charity work, I firmly believe that we must appreciate and pursue innovation in the delivery of human services, health care and the like.  For example, I would ask, how have we been innovative in our approach to feeding the hungry, serving people who are homeless, educating kids with disabilities?  It would sadden me to believe that we can land a machine on Mars with almost pinpoint accuracy yet we still operate a homeless shelter the way it was managed 70 years ago.

Innovation does not need to manifest itself in the form of a gadget, although sometimes it does.  It can come in the form of a new process or a series of questions that lead to more useful information.  Sometimes innovation involves the merging of two seemingly different disciplines to produce a refreshing new and valuable byproduct.

A program in Lorain County, Ohio comes to mind where persons who are experiencing extreme poverty and even homelessness are introduced to the concept of entrepreneurship, starting their own micro-businesses in an effort to produce income and a degree of financial stability instead of waiting months or even years for someone else to hire them.  Contact me for more detailed information about this program if you are curious - excuse the pun.

Many such stories of innovation in the "caring industries" do exist but I would encourage even more innovation.  I ask my colleagues in non-profit, are you a change agent in your organization?  In your community?  Do you feel free to offer innovative ideas within your organization or is the environment in which you work stifling to new ideas?  If so, how can you tactfully change such an organizational culture?

Some folks scoff at the notion that we (humankind) spend too much time, energy and resources exploring the universe while many still suffer here on Earth.  And while I do "get that", I also suggest that many still suffer here on earth because we (humankind) have neglected to be innovative in our care for others.  Do practitioners in the charities wake up each morning with a spirit of innovation and the craving to do better as do our friends in the sciences?  Some do, for sure, yet regrettably many do not and they are still running their shelter as if it were 1942.

I don't believe in change just for the sake of change itself, that philosophy can be harmful.  But I do believe that purposeful innovation can and should happen throughout the vast spectrum of human endeavor, including the work of so many non-profit charity organizations.  I offer my congratulations to the innovation offered by those who work at NASA to make the Mars landing possible and equally to those in the non-profits in Lorain, Ohio who are teaching the homeless to start their own micro-businesses!  Inspirational Video & Space Exploration

Will NASA Take A Back Seat?

With all of the challenges facing our nation at this time it appears that the ambitions of our nation’s space program will once again take a back seat to other concerns of policymakers. While perhaps understandable, the agenda of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has become a regrettable case study for those who follow public policy of the ebb and flow of national priorities. Forty years ago the U.S. was on the verge of accomplishing what many thought impossible – landing a man on the moon and returning him safely back to earth. Soon our astronauts will be hitching rides with Russian cosmonauts aboard their aging Soyuz space capsules to get to and from the international space station. Such an arrangement would have been unthinkable in the early days of the space race and must surely send shivers down the spine of those who had anything to do with the amazing accomplishments of the 60’s and early 70’s.

NASA suggests that the shuttle program is winding down to a close with the last launch to happen soon. A new spacecraft design is being proposed but it won’t be ready for several years, if everything goes as planned. This leaves the United States without its own means to the space station we helped design and finance.

Certainly, the cold war is over and times have changed. We no longer experience the fearful animosity toward Russia that we had then for the former Soviet Union. Nevertheless, this gradual turn of events is very unsettling to some who can remember sitting in front of a black and white TV or a transistor radio to witness Neil Armstrong’s first step on the moon. Perhaps it is the realization of the loss of something great – leadership and reputation. Perhaps, if we are honest with ourselves, there is still some lingering fear about the intentions of Russia.

Learned economists and policymakers are able to demonstrate the many residual benefits of our early leadership in space exploration. They describe advances in computer technology that made today’s personal computing possible. They might also mention satellite technologies that led to more accurate weather forecasting, wireless communication, cell phone and GPS technology and so much more. The list of long-term benefits is long.

President Elect Obama will have the opportunity through his policy making, as other modern presidents before him, to either strengthen NASA and it’s role in our political and scientific landscape or to minimize it – making it more likely that our astronauts will be dependent on the kindness of others for their way out of this world.