Think things through

I went to a presentation recently on Israel’s approach to innovation … and to Research & Development in particular.

What struck me was the ‘joining of the dots’ … the fact that Israel seems to have broken down the silo mentality of government to coordinate activity across a range of departments.  They have done this by appointing a ‘Chief Scientist’ who has authority and responsibility .. and who can work across these departments.

Other countries have campaigns, policies and strategies … but few of them seem to have thought the issues through to the point where they can deliver on the vision.

This is not a plea to copy israel’s approach to R&D … but – whatever the issue – to think through issues, the structures needed for implementation and the need for a ‘leader’ to give focus and to drive through the good intentions.