The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Returns to Its Innovative Roots

Wharton Aerospace ^ | 4/16/2010 | Wharton Aerospace

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Regina Dugan last summer took over as chief of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). In a profile of the 47-year-old PhD in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology, The New York Times noted that in recent years DARPA has lost some of the luster it gained over decades as an agency that develops cutting edge military technologies that also filter into the consumer and civilian arena. The agency has been criticized in recent years for shifting its focus too closely to tools and technologies that could have an immediate impact for U.S. soldiers on the front lines.

Dugan was tapped to restore the agency's reputation by sparking creative thinking and innovation. She recruited Peter Lee, chairman of the computer science department at Carnegie Mellon University, to help. In the Times profile, he described working under Dugan: "It's like working for Steve Jobs. The amount of intellectual pressure we're put under all day, every day is significant and beyond anything in my professional experience."

Lee went on to say that in trying to meet Dugan's goals of thinking in new ways, employees undergo four stages. First they are a little scared, then really scared — soon they are frustrated and then finally they feel enlightened.

Michael Useem, a management professor at Wharton and director of Wharton's Center for Leadership and Change Management, has thought about how to inspire a workforce to excel in something as intangible as innovation. "This might sound pretty obvious when you hear it, but it's important not to push too hard to innovate during the innovation process," says Useem. "If it's pushed, it won't happen. If you micromanage, it won't happen."

[Wonder Warthog]

Truly innovative people will innovate no matter what. It's an addiction as bad as heroin. They'll either do it at work on things that "the boss" wants, or they'll do it after work, but they WILL do it. Give them problems and money and stay off their backs. Cut out all the BS meetings and micromanagement, and pass out the occasional attaboy.

One of the main problems is that managers are "rifle people" (i.e. they can only focus on one problem at a time), while innovators are "shotgun people" (can work on several problems at once).

So the boss sees them working on something that isn't the specific assigned problem and bitches, while the innovator sees that work (still productive) as a fallow time to "let the subconscious work" on the assigned problem, while doing something that fosters one of the other projects they have in mind.

[bert]

Wonder what they are trying to innovate

[Wonder Warthog]

"Wonder what they are trying to innovate"

Given that it is DARPA, it could be almost anything, and probably pretty far out. They go for the REALLY "blue-sky" stuff.

[roamer_1]

while the innovator sees that work (still productive) as a fallow time to "let the subconscious work" on the assigned problem, while doing something that fosters one of the other projects they have in mind.

When I was still in business, my partners never could understand why I would go walking around in stores, or hanging out in back-alley shops, talking with smart folks (The smartest folks I know are working out of back alley shops) while working on an innovation to solve production problems...

It seemed to be a whole lot of wasted time... until, on their request, I refrained... and the innovations quit coming...

Then they accused me of being spiteful. *shakes head*

[Wonder Warthog]

"It seemed to be a whole lot of wasted time... until, on their request, I refrained... and the innovations quit coming... Then they accused me of being spiteful. *shakes head*"

It is truly a rare "rifle" manager who is wise enough to understand the value of a shotgun. I have been blessed in my career with having worked for three such. The dumbass rifle woman manager who did NOT understand damaged my career so much that I was "downsized". So I went out and did my own company with a couple of other guys. We've been going for ten years now, and I have done ten times the creative work I was allowed to do a "ye giant chemical company", won national technology awards, and had an impact on national security. And had fun doing all of that.

[CodeToad]

DARPA went from R&D to contracts.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks sonofstrangelove.

http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com/neighbors.php?type=name&lname=Dugan&fname=Regina