Burt Rutan cited crisis as the primary reason for U.S. successes in the space race of the 1960s and 70s. Fear that foreign satellites could control outer space created a sense of urgency that resulted in rapid and far reaching innovations. One out of every thousand U.S. patents belongs to NASA. The agency holds over 1,400 aeronautical patents alone. Innovations impacted society as a whole as consumer products adopted and integrated these patents.

Putting humans into space required broad design thinking – an ability to grok the entire issue and integrate diverse resources and processes into a single effective system. Success required far more than constructing a rocket. It involved innovation throughout the entire supply chain, ground support system, life support system, global tracking system, training system, public relations system and many others.

More opportunity more than crisis

Ray Anderson, CEO of Interface, Inc. and self-described radical industrialist, views global warming as a crisis of even greater proportion. But he sees it as an opportunity more than a crisis. Ten years ago, he committed his carpet company to a course of sustainability, recognizing that trends in the industry were headed into dangerous territory. The turnaround for Interface, from a highly polluting company to the industry leader for sustainability is also the foundation for the company’s impressive financial success. While his motivation was from the heart, the result is very evident on the bottom line.

The broad ranging innovations extended far beyond the factory walls. Anderson cites innovations at DuPont to supply recyclable fibers, new methods and new formulas for adhesives, new approaches to carpet patterns and the processes to create them. They rethought plumbing systems to reduce power consumption to 1/14^th of their previous use. A partnership with the city of Atlanta converted lost methane from a city landfill into usable power, creating a triple win: improved air quality, reduced power cost and extended life of the landfill.

“Viewing processes in isolation doesn't pencil out,” he said. Myopic focus on the bottom line misses the potential shared benefit and competitive advantage of entire supply chain. Innovation throughout the system ensures the infrastructure can successfully support the execution. Focus on internal operations alone overlooks opportunities to create greater innovations which benefit suppliers, partners, vendors, customers and employees.

When you view the entire system as continuous, you see solutions that function and benefit all participants in the process.