Of Silos, Swim Lanes, and Stovepipes
Click here to download the pdf flyer (42K).
Mike Schwenk, VP and Director of Tech Deployment Outreach, PNNL
April 1, 2009 at the Richland, WA, Shilo Inn
Has everyone heard about silos, swim lanes and stovepipes? These all refer to the same thing: no one talking to one another, left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing, and the like. In today's interconnected world, it's hard to believe the terminology can still be evoked so often. But hear it we do, and with increasing frequency.
Upon reflection, however, why would this surprise anyone? With the pace of new knowledge growing at the rate that it is, and with more and more people from all over the world engaging in social networks and the like, it is only natural that we migrate toward the familiar, or that which is of interest to us, and tune out the rest. After all, how much can anyone take in and truly assimilate? But as a result, we risk becoming an inch wide and a mile deep in our understanding of the world and the set of folks with whom we congregate.
As a matter of fact, the application of filters and other knowledge management techniques in the cyber world is actually leading us down this path (if you read this book, then you might like to also read these three ...). Why does this matter? Because innovation comes from mixing it up. To crank up the innovation engine, to create great answers to the "so what" question, it is going to take government, industry and academia all working together. What I have discovered is that each group mostly talks to themselves about themselves, and maybe about the others. But it is harder to find those times and venues when they all come together and talk to one another. The good news is the willingness is there. Silos, swim lanes and stovepipes may exist, but they are not impenetrable.
Join us on April 1st (no fooling!), when Mike will expand on these thoughts and share more about what "technology-based economic development" means and how to go about it, regardless of the size or location of the community.
About the Speaker:
Mike Schwenk is an advocate of private and public collaboration that pair the best of government resources and private-sector know-how to solve the nation's most pressing challenges. He has 30 years of technical and business management experience in government, non-profit and corporate settings, and has championed numerous efforts that moved leading research out of the science laboratory and into the business community, including overseeing intellectual property and commercial business activities. He was honored in 2008 as Tri Citian of the Year.
Mike currently chairs the Three Rivers Community Roundtable, is chair of the Tri-City Development Council, and serves on the board of the Tri-City Education Advisory Council. Regionally, he is very active with Washington State University, chairing the WSU Research Foundation and the WSU-Tri-Cities Advisory Council. Mike also serves as Vice Chair for the Industrial Research Institute's Policy Committee.
Logistics
Shilo Inn, 50 Comstock, Richland, WA
5:30 p.m. - Check in and networking. No-host bar service.
6:00 p.m. - Dinner
7:00 p.m. - Presentation
8:00 p.m. - Adjourn
Cost $17 members/$20 non-members/$5 presentation only
Reservations are requested by March 26. Please send an e-mail to Alvin Langstaff with your name, phone number, company affiliation, and type of reservation. Or call Alvin at (509) 371-2221.
NOTE: All no-shows will be billed unless canceled 48 hours in advance.
