Roland forwarded info on a free lecture taking place in Melbourne on 17 Sept by Charles Leadbetter. Con replied with a transcript from this guy speaking in 2006...
The Direct quote is
" Philips has a huge research establishment in Eindhoven. It’s where they
invented the Philips light bulb, which is still at the heart of
Philips’ wealth as a company, and it’s an amazing place surrounded by
barbed wire. And there’s a security box, you have to go through a most
amazing security to get in because this was a special place for special
people and other people weren’t allowed in. You had to keep the
knowledge inside. Finally, too late, they’ve understood that actually
to create knowledge you need interaction. You need people coming and
going, you need small companies in there as well. Customers,
importantly, need to come in. So finally they’re taking the barbed wire
down and they’re getting rid of security and opening up as a platform
for regional innovation. So time and again you’ll see in profession
after profession people, journalists, doctors, teachers, social
workers, challenged by this sense of their professional identity, their
knowledge monopoly being challenged by people who’ve now got access to
new source of information and advice.
http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/programs/events/2006/symposium/economy/leadbeater.html
