"... that's what progress is. Innovation moves away and leaves only execution. Stay ahead of the curve."
We talked about this in our India prep class. It's a cool concept and so relatable to both my school and work life. Bear with me here, I think you'll catch on quickly.
I've realized this semester how all of my classes are somehow connected with one another, and really, to this bigger concept of business on a global scale. The quote above was by my India professor, Mani, and refers to the contrast between art and science. He argued (and I agree) that everything starts out as an art. Innvoation and creativity start the next big idea. As we learn more about it, we get the science behind it, document the steps, and institutionalize the knowledge.
This happened in farming - the art of getting the perfect crop We measured how much sunlight, water, and the right type of soil to turn innovation in farming into common practice. It happened in wood shops, when wood workers would hand craft their goods. It happened when the best and the brightest tackled things like architecture, physics, and computer programming. Where will it happen next?
The art and the science.
This is what I also focus on at work. The art is less trainable. How do I focus on training the art and the science of project management? The steps are easy to articulate. How does one teach the unpredictable side? As we've progressed, industries like handicrafts, farming, and manufacturing - with their scientific steps and process - have moved to lesser developed countries to leave the art of consulting, education, and many other jobs in the service sector here.
Why is any of this relevant? As I plan for my trip to India, I'll be going somewhere that has capitalized on crazy-huge demand for perfecting the science. India has executed with such high quality that has never before been reached. The mass scale in which these companies I will visit have streamlined their unique process, turned profits based on the detailed steps of running a call center, programming computers, consulting on systems infrastructure, or other repetitive tasks is impressive. What's next for India? How do we stay ahead of an emerging market that will also someday realize that to stay ahead of the curve, there is a need to incorporate art, freedom of thought, creativity and innovation into their industries?
Again, I'll say it. "Art becomes science... that's what progress is. Innovation moves away and leaves only execution. Stay ahead of the curve."
Make sense now?
