Thoughts on Innovation

Post-Script: One example of this difference between organizations in their approach to creativity is to compare two of the nation's National Laboratories, Los Alamos and Sandia. As I recall reading from histories of the two labs, Los Alamos has traditionally fostered a much more open-minded, academic research environment (which, during the war years and afterwards, was a constant source of friction with those desiring security at all cost), conducive for creative problem-solving on a theoretical level; while Sandia, possessing more of an engineering-oriented mission and interfacing directly with military leadership, has traditionally been more regimented in its thinking. This dichotomy is also seen in the politics of the two labs' staffing, with Los Alamos employees often being perceived as more liberal-minded and Sandia's being more conservative.

Photo via Fujifilm X10; typecast via Smith Corona Galaxy 12.