ROOM FOR WHOM AT THE TOP? PROMOTING TECHNICAL LITERACY IN THE EXECUTIVE SUITE

Technology today is not only driving and changing business and markets, but in many businesses, it is also lowering the barriers to entry. Telecommunications is one of the better examples, but the same effects can be observed across a broad spectrum of businesses, some of which were not traditionally technology intensive. Competition is global, and the ability to compete on this scale is fostered by corporate leaders who: 1. really understand the business, 2. understand both the technology that is driving the business today and the technology that will change the business in the future, 3. treat R&D as an investment to be nurtured rather than an expense to be minimized, 4. spend more time on strategic thinking about the future the higher they rise in the corporation, 5. are dedicated to solving a customer's problem or satisfying a need, which is true marketing as opposed to sales, and 6. place a premium on innovation. Companies need technically trained people in the executive suite because technology is driving change in every dimension of a business.