Think Tanks in Decline

Shloky has the details. I've seen this in the tech research world too. Too many academics (drown in minutia and barren specialization) and too many insiders (breathing your own exhaust) can kill a great research company. Those types of folks are great as back-up to stress test thinking, but the best analysts (the money/prestige/publicity earners) are ALWAYS horizontal thinkers. If you don't systematically hire these horizontal thinkers (easy to ID based on published works), you might as well shut the doors since you aren't influencing anybody.

Comments

[zenpundit]

A lack of horizontal thinkers on staff combined with a manageriial/directorial lack of understanding of the rules of the new attention economy.

Even when the tanks have something really great - say Ronfeldt's Tribes paper - I usually hear about it from a blogger who is, by chance, acting on their own. No strategy of influence.

[John Robb]

It's a shame really. Given the funding and the resources, they could be really moving the ball forward for all of us.

[tdl]

What are the chances that a decline here might spark some specialization? The more productive, horizontal thinkers push new themes and ideas while outsourcing the deep vertical research? Just a thought.

Regards,
TDL