Years ago I attended a Q&A session with an IBM senior executive that came out from HQ in Armonk, NY to visit the IBM plant in Boulder, CO. At the time the offshoring of jobs had gone from a gentle brook to a roaring river, and many at the Boulder plant had been laid off as their jobs had gone to India without them.  The mood in the room was icy and finally one brave soul asked the question on everyone’s minds: “why are we sending jobs to India and when will it stop?” The answer was candid and to the point: “we are sending jobs to India because the economics are too compelling and its not going to stop, so if you want to keep your job you need to retool.” She went on to say that American workers, to justify their salaries (often 2-3x salaries in other countries), needed to become innovators or in IBM-speak, “thought leaders.”

It was a globalization wake-up call and there was an uncomfortable silence in the room as it became apparent we needed to work on moving up the innovation “food chain” or get eaten.  Our mission: help our students develop the innovation skills to avoid getting eaten in the global marketplace.  I hear the mission impossible theme song…