Now that we’ve completed the book (The SAIC Solution), I’ve been wondering what topic I should take on for the next book. I’ll bounce ideas off you as I think of them. If you have ideas, I would like to hear them. One thing we’re doing is establishing a FED publishing program, which will get underway soon. The mission of the program is “To continue to build the legacy of the founding generation of SAIC by promoting and extending the innovative business philosophies and techniques developed during SAIC’s early and expansion years.” We have appointed an editorial board (on which I will serve, along with Mary Ann Beyster, Peter Economy, Jim Russell, and Bill Ralston) and plan to embark on an aggressive publishing program of articles, essays, and more over the next several months. We will use the book as our foundation, but also go beyond the book to address related issues and topics. Please submit your ideas for topics that you think should be addressed. I have ideas for articles in three areas I would like to address soon:
- Governance for an employee-owned company, which we discuss in some detail in Chapter 13 of the book. I didn’t really have as much time to investigate this area as I would have liked to.
- What’s happening with nuclear power? The Wall Street Journal and some experts on nuclear waste management (including Ed Rumble, in his postings on this blog) seem to believe it will play a large role in our energy future. However, as Ed points out, the nuclear utilities are having difficulty licensing storage facilities for their waste.
- There is a lot of activity going on in the area of data warehousing — SAIC has many people working in this area now. There’s a company called Greenplum that appears to have some unique capabilities in the area, along with others. It all boils down to algorithms, how you extract quickly information from the warehouse. If the warehousing systems do what they say they will, the benefits will be significant. It might be fun to research that topic.
Click on the comments link to share your thoughts.
- Bob
Bob and Peter
I’m VERY disappointed that you chose to ignore the founding of AESC, Inc. by two SAIC alumni in 1996. As I wrote when you were seeking input, AESC is owned by former SAIC Energy Systems Division (444) employees. AESC has grown to over 20 employees and works mostly for electric utility companies.
Perhaps a second printing of the book will result in an updated chart “Companies formed by SAIC Alumni”.
Craig
It would be fascinating to know if any group/expert is examining whether global business partnerships and relationships change the rate of innovations and/or change the nature of innovations in a given field. Problem-solving methods vary radically around the world. Universities are exploring whether interdisciplinary research initiatives generate innovative solutions to problems that cannot be solved if looking through the prism of one discipline.
Great topic – glad there’s another project in the works.
Regards,
Gael Tarleton
Sir,
Given the recent ruckus being made about outrageous corporate salaries and bonuses, public discussions about boards, stock bonuses and options, and other matters that you dealt with in your years at SAIC – I’d be interested in reading your opinions on general corporate governance, ethics, and responsibility in the modern corporate culture. I know SAIC wasn’t (and isn’t) perfect, by any means, but I think we’ve done better than most, and policed ourselves pretty well.
Regards,
-John Cosby
15 year SAIC employee-owner
I could be asking about issues covered in the book (that I’m looking forward to reading), but …
I’d be most interested in how you see various forces conspiring to transform the corporation. Do you think the forces will come from the investor community (e.g., activist funds, takeovers, taking firms private) or government regulation (e.g., Sarbanes Oxley, actions like those take by Elliott Spitzer), or the labor market (the best and brightest refusing to work at poorly managed companies once they are given a chance) or something else? You founded SAIC nearly 40 years ago. In 40 more years, what will the next SAIC, the next corporate innovation, look like?
Thanks!
Bob-
Let me know when you’re ready to do some work on Data Warehousing and Mining. As you know, I’ve got over 200 people working in and around this area now. This is a techncial area with significant social, political, and ethical issues interlaced in it, and it would make a great topic for a thoughtful essay.
Rizzi
Dear Dr. Beyster,
Regarding your Week 32 query for article ideas, I offer the following thoughts for your consideration.
As the leader of an employee-owned company focused on delivering environmentally-friendly buildings in the San Diego area, I am very curious to learn more about your level of interest in the concept of “sustainability”. I realize that SAIC has people working on this subject, however, do you think that our culture is moving towards an attitude of more concern for the planet, including a new-found emphasis on reducing our consumption rates?
Our business is booming – we have doubled in the past year – and it seems like everyone I talk to wants to go green now, and this was not the case until very recently. Is it just me, or are others seeing signs that it appears that there is a significant values shift underway here?
Thank you in advance for reading this message, and for your great contributions at SAIC – your company is one of our favorite role models.
With best regards,
Drew George, P.E.