Rhode Island School of  Design leaders (John Maeda and Becy Bermont) offer a succinct comparison of differences between business and academics, using punctuation marks as the metaphor .  This combination is at the heart of our partnership with Stanford for the SAPM program. The the following quotes capture the essence of their post.  Creative organizations (such as, Apple, IDEO, P&G, or Pixar) and teams continually strive to balance these two frames of reference, depending on the culture and strategy of the organization.

In academia there is the luxury of time. Thus when a thought might start, it doesn’t necessarily have to finish. You can begin … and not necessarily end. It is this kind of open-endedness that makes academia a necessary space of free thought in the world.

In industry we like to hear the virtues of “execution” and “getting things done.” Got an idea? Set a target deadline. When you’re done, package the result and move onto the next task. Don’t think. Just do. And keep on doing.

In industry it’s important to be heard. Speaking up is critical for an individual’s or idea’s survival. “I can’t hear you.” No. I really can’t. So what do you do? YELL. YEEEEEELLLLLL. And you still hope to get heard. By your boss, of course. Or even better by your boss’s boss. 

In academia there’s always a need to think critically. Debate is the starting- and ending-point for all meaningful dialogue. Got an idea? Question it. And question the question while you’re at it.

Tags: Collaboration, Culture, IDEO, strategy execution

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