Arianna Huffington: The Imperative Need for America to Become an Innovation Nation

On Monday, I wrote about the troubling state of America's commitment to innovation, spurred by a panel discussion I'd taken part in.

After the panel, I found myself having a fascinating follow-up discussion with a Harvard professor, a psychiatrist, a Broadway producer, a biotech entrepreneur, a business consultant, a film producer, an author, and a jazz musician.

It wasn't as crowded as it sounds since my conversation was with one person, John Kao. In his polymath career, Kao has taken on each of these roles. He now spends most of his time writing, lecturing, and advising governments and corporations on innovation.

Our talk about the importance of developing a "national innovation agenda" and having governments act as "impresarios" creating the conditions that allow a society to move forward in smarter, faster ways, was interrupted when Kao had to put on his jazz musician hat and go on stage to play. In keeping with the innovation theme, he and his fellow musician ended up improvising, to the delight of the crowd.

On my flight home, I started reading Kao's book, Innovation Nation, which he gave me as I was leaving the conference. It was both frightening and inspiring. Frightening because of the details it provides about the ways America is falling behind the rest of the world; inspiring because Kao imbues it with a sense of optimism and great possibility.

Yes, there is much to be concerned about -- evidence that we are heading in the wrong direction ("We are rapidly becoming the fat, complacent Detroit of nations," he writes). But Kao reminds us of all the times in the past America has rallied, marshalling its forces to innovate and rise to meet great challenges.

After Pearl Harbor, America's naval force was decimated. But, Kao points out, just three years later "America had a hundred aircraft carriers fully armed with new planes, pilots, tactics, and escort ships, backed by new approaches to logistics, training methods, aircraft plants, shipyards, and women workers" along with "such game changing innovations as the B-29... and nuclear fission."

Same with our reaction to the Soviet's launch of Sputnik, when "we responded with massive funding for education, revamped school curricula in science and math, and launched a flurry of federal initiatives that eventually put Neil Armstrong in position to make his 'giant leap for mankind.'"

So, even though we currently find ourselves "basking in our faded glory," Kao believes "America has the potential to become the first [Innovation Nation], a blend of enlightened self-interest and outward-reaching altruism." ...

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