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Transformation Age Educator's
Guide Web site
Smith School Dean Howard Frank on MPT's Direct Connection to
discuss the importance and impact of technology
transformation
Smith School Offers Free DVDs and Downloads to Educators
Kodak invented the digital camera. But
because the company didn’t adopt and champion the new
technology, the company missed out on the chance to profit
from it.
Kodak management was comfortable with
its business model, which relied on the sale of high-profit
camera film. And Kodak made the mistake of thinking it was
in control of the photography process. In fact, that power
really belonged to consumers, who decided en masse that they
didn’t want to deal with film anymore. So instead of being
an industry leader in the new field of digital photography,
Kodak instead became a classic example of how a company can
miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity caused by the
transformative effect of technology.
The Kodak story is part of a one-hour
television documentary produced by the Smith School in
partnership with Maryland Public Television. Entitled The
Transformation Age: Surviving a Technology Revolution with
Robert X. Cringely, the program explores some of the
most significant technology-enabled transformations taking
place today. It aims to help viewers understand and
appreciate the opportunities and threats presented by the
new technology-driven, global economy. The documentary will
air on public television stations nationwide, helping the
Smith School fulfill its educational mission.
The documentary was underwritten by
NYMEX and benefited from the expertise of Henry C. Lucas,
Robert H. Smith Professor of Information Systems at the
Smith School. Lucas was a consultant on the project and
authored a companion book, which will be sold with the DVD.
The project also includes an educational Web site, where
educators can download video clips from the documentary and
get ideas on how the book and TV show can be used in class.
The Transformation Age explores
the way our world is changing and the effects of this
transformation on individuals, on organizations and on
entire industries. Filming the documentary took the crew
from Fashion Week in New York to the Mayo Clinic in
Minnesota. Fashion model Anina who is featured in one
segment, has a completely digital, mobile office—her cell
phone, which enables her to conduct business from anywhere
in the world.
While Anina’s story is of the intimate
and personal effect of technology, other segments describe
the large-scale effects of technological change on entire
industries. One such segment was filmed at the
world-renowned Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic has 16 million
paper records which are being transitioned to a digital
system, an ongoing project for the past ten years. This
massive undertaking has made patient diagnosis a quicker and
easier process for doctors and cut down on the wait for test
results for patients.
The federal government has mandated
that all the nation’s medical records be made digital by
2014. The project at the Mayo Clinic provides insight into
the challenges faced by the country as it transitions to an
all-digital medical records system for every citizen.
The questions the documentary raises
have implications for individuals and industry, but they
also have broader and more profound implications for the
future economic health of our nation.
“If you look at a lot of the things we
see in the documentary, they really are very innovative. So
one of the questions I’ve asked myself is how do we create
an innovative population?” says Lucas. “So many businesses
are based on somebody having a great idea. How do we become
a culture of people who have great ideas?”
The Transformation Age: How to
Survive the Technological Revolution will air on PBS
stations nationwide beginning in May. Check your local
station for listings. |
