In 2011, The Deutsche Telekom Stiftung and The Federation of German Industry published its sixth “Innovationsindikator,” a survey comparing the innovative strength of 26 industrialized countries. In 1995, 2000 and 2005 the US was among the top three most innovative countries, but dropped dramatically to ninth position in 2010. At the same time, Germany climbed to fourth position behind Switzerland, Sweden and Singapore in 2010.
Through it’s local San Diego office, the German American Chamber of Commerce California (GACCCA), and The SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (SIBE) at Steinbeis University Berlin (Germany) are taking a closer look into how Innovation Leadership is managed in US companies in comparison to German companies.
The SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND ENTRPRENEURSHIP (SIBE) at Steinbeis University Berlin is one of Germany’s most prestigious privately owned, scientific, postgraduate business schools with 1000 Master’s students currently enrolled. As a forerunner of Europe’s Bologna Education Reform Process, SIBE started its Talent-Growth Curricula in 1994. With about 90% of its tuition fees paid by companies, organizations and public administration, a highly competitive acceptance rate of 10% and a placement rate by end of studies of 80%, SIBE boasts excellent educational quality and a strong industrial interface.
As part of its future strategic positioning, SIBE developed an international survey in collaboration with Dr. Tina Klein, marketing faculty from The Rady School of Management at the University of California San Diego. Our study is distinguished by the patronage of Dr. Helmut Haussmann, Germany’s former Federal Minister of Economic Affairs (FDP), the support from Peggy Fleming, President GACC California. and Dr. Stephan Hollmann, Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany San Diego.
The Survey’s Object: It is inspired by the ideas of Joseph A. Schumpeter, a brilliant Austrian-American economist from the last century. In his most famous phrase, he likened capitalism to a “perennial gale of creative destruction.” For Schumpeter, the people who keep this gale blowing are entrepreneurs. As he saw it, the entrepreneur’s central function is to move resources, however painfully, to areas where they can be used more productively. He also recognized that big businesses can be as innovative as small ones, and that entrepreneurs can arise from middle management as well as college dorm-rooms. Schumpeter argued that industries must incessantly revolutionize, as innovation causes the obsolescence of old inventories, ideas, technologies, skills, and equipment. The planned survey seeks to better understand these Schumpeterian tenets within the context of today’s companies and organizations. It aims to identify those adaptive efficiencies that enable organizations to prevail over the disruptive process of transformation. Specifically, how do companies and organizations exercise Innovation Leadership in their corporate goal setting and talent management? How is this reflected in their organization‘s overall success?
The Roll Out: This study will be conducted among a selected group of C-level executives in the US and Germany and be repeated every two years. In the future, we will also survey top decision-makers in India and Brazil, evaluating responses within and between nations.
To arrange your participation or for further information, please contact: Annette L. Horne, Director, US Strategic Educational and Corporate Relations, School of International Business and Entrepreneurship (SIBE), W 402 Broadway, Suite 1000, San Diego CA, 92101, Email: horne@steinbeis-sibe.de, Tel: +1 619 313 7268
