Boston's lessons in sparking innovation

THIS MONTH marks Massachusetts' commemoration of the Liberty Tree, a large elm near the corner of Washington and Essex streets that was a gathering place for diverse groups planting the seeds of revolution. The tree, which served as Boston's meeting place for a decade until it was cut down by the British in August 1775, became a symbol of freedom. The "bump and connect," an intermingling of diverse groups that occurred here, created a powerful mass movement leading to the American Revolution.

The interplay that occurred around the Liberty Tree led to the successful American "experiment" of populist revolt and later to independence and a democratic society. We can learn from that history and apply the lessons to the challenges that face our region today.

In Colonial days, crowds too large for the Old South Meeting House would meet near Boston's famed elm. The Sons of Liberty, a group of educated tradesman led by Paul Revere, the more elitist Committees of Correspondence led by Sam Adams, and the artisans led by Ebenezer Mackintosh were all instrumental in mobilizing these gatherings. Soon women, unskilled laborers, and slaves mingled at the tree, too.

This mix of diverse groups has also been a key driver of innovation. In research funded by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and John Adams Innovation Institute, our organization identified key factors that have helped spawn innovation and regenerate the economy: a driving entrepreneur or team of leaders; a diverse mix of people, businesses, and educational institutions, which foster networking; local funding; local demand, which pushes entrepreneurs to define ideas and perfect products; and national or global demand for those same ideas and products.

Compared with other cities that have lost their dominance in one or two key industries, even after flourishing for a century, Greater Boston has had the longest run of innovation - reemerging from no less than four major periods of economic decline.

Boston started the auto industry and lost it to Detroit. After 30 years headquartered here, AT&T moved to New York. The personal computer industry was lost to Silicon Valley. Yet in these and other cases, the original innovation which occurred here produced a critical mass of talent and technological capability that seeded other innovations. As Michael Best, a professor at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell and the co-director of the Center for Industrial Competitiveness, put it, "Massachusetts has lost more industries than any region in the world, but has also created more industries than any other region."

A crucial element in each regeneration has been the "bump and connect" - planned and unplanned meetings among entrepreneurs, funders, researchers, and other professionals.

If the region is to retain Greater Boston's innovation culture and economy, we must encourage more networking across industries, professions, and diverse social networks, so that innovative ideas can take hold.

Two new projects designed to accomplish these goals include:

What's Up Boston, an electronic "whiteboard"/LED screen to jump-start civic conversations in public spaces. A pilot of this public conversation medium will be part of the Oct. 4 IdeasBoston conference.

A project funded by the Boston Foundation, Raytheon, and Citizens Bank that builds on research that shows how the mix of diverse groups has been a key driver of innovation. This project will focus on strengthening the ability of local organizations to recruit and retain diverse talent, including college students, post-grads, young workers, and skilled immigrants.

We no longer have a Liberty Tree. But the success of these projects - and our entire region - depends on the ability of many diverse companies, organizations, and citizens to connect.