Innovatia

because I am trained in the humanities (Eng- lish literature, to be precise), taught the hu- manities but then forged a 30-year career in strategy-and-innovation consulting. I founded my own firm, employed a couple of hundred people during its lifespan, and in that time generated millions of dollars of revenue. Our clients included global firms, so we exported our skills. Like any good capitalist, I sold my firm in due course. So, I have walked on both sides of the fence. Presumably the previous government would have liked to produce more people like me. But the question is, did my humanities training help or hinder me? Several years ago, I brought out to Australia one of the world’s leading business thinkers, Roger Martin, then Dean of Rotman School of Management in Canada. He gave a pres- entation about innovation at Sydney’s Opera House followed by a Q&A, and the last ques- tion came from someone in the education industry: “What message do you have for us in education about this world of business and innovation?” Martin shot back: “Lay off the hu- manities, for God’s sake!” Later, he explained his reasoning to me: The worst thing you can do as a strategist is to throw away your source of competitive advantage. The humanities made countries like Australia great, so chas- ing technology education in their place would paint you into failure over the long term. Was his view off the mark? Not according to Nobel Laureate in economics, Ed Phelps. Phelps asks the question: what was the source of the extraordinary wealth generated in just ten countries during the industrial revolution? He considers but discounts the usual suspects

RESPECT THE HUMANITIES Dr Tony Golsby-Smith argues the arts and humanities are essential to innovation, as we need a nation capable of seeing beyond the obvious and thinking creatively. T he former federal government effective- ly devalued the humanities as a social good. Its funding regime penalise stu- dents who want to study the humanities and encourage them to pursue “relevant” degrees in science, teaching and health. Was this a good thing? The government’s reasoning boiled down to “job readiness”, and ultimately the assump- tion that the humanities are of little use in the real world and are, at best, good for hobbies or the idle rich. Although the push for pragma- tism in education is a desperate one, it is easy to sympathise with governmental and paren- tal fears that we are not equipping our chil- dren for viable lives in the modern economy. In the face of this anxiety, any defence of the humanities can sound like special pleading. Nonetheless, I believe the government’s posi- tion was disastrous and short-sighted. I am unusually placed to voice this view

INNOVATIA

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INNOVATIA

| Art & Culture

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