Leonard Waks, author of blog, nexthings.blogspot.com/ posted a couple of weeks ago about his views on Fried Chicken Innovation, and I could hardly agree MORE!
(This was after the mention in Fast Company home-page and Blog)
The education I experienced to high school, was hardly innovative. It was that the teachers did a good job. My favourite was an English teacher Mr Morgan, who seemed to like teaching literature, and encouraged me to read Shakespeare against my many protests. Thanks Mr Morgan, wherever you are!
But as Leonard says (and I hope I am paraphrasing this correctly) those modern innovations of education and centralisation "national standards, standardized tests in every grade, closing "failing" schools." are more fried chicken.
Now whilst this is not my area, I can say that 'standardization' and 'centralization' and 'homogenisation' are precisely the sort of experiments that crush innovation, as it tends to arise in pockets inside organisations (see the Pockets model from our global research).
Standardise and flatten, and you WIPE out the pocket. Big bureaucracies CAN Innovate they just must resist the urge to stamp OUT EVERY SINGLE CREATIVE VARIATION.
Or in the case of teachers, the Mr Morgans of this world. I spent 1 year AFTER Mr Morgan in ANOTHER English Lit class learning social issues, and how to read Japanese texts and plays, and interpret television media, whilst no-one taught me Longfellow & Keats. I think a DIVERSITY of texts is good, but at that time the educational system was trialling a number of innovations out on humble old me and all the others. I worked out fine, but what about all the other kids?
Standardisation at that school meant all teachers were forced to teach texts they did not agree with, and could do nothing about. That innovation was more fried chicken.
Too much centralised fried chicken innovation and my friend Mr Morgan wouldn't have been able to do what he did best, and teach...
Take Care... and keep fighting FRIED CHICKEN.
Christopher-no-roosters-in-this-hen-house
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