Alumni Magazine - Spring 2008 - (Page 76) > > > PA C E S E T T E R S Eye for Innovation Retired Control Data chief Robert Price likes what he sees happening at Tech By Sarah Banick In the 1960s, Control Data Corp. built the fastest computers in the world. As one of the world’s most respected firms, it pioneered the age of computing using innovative methods that addressed social responsibility, employee welfare and the environment years before these actions became common corporate philosophy. The company’s former chairman and CEO, Robert M. Price, MS Math 58, once described CDC as “the Apple computer of its time.” The Minneapolis-based corporation launched more than 100 spin-offs before restructuring and merging itself into a new direction in the early 1990s. Price joined CDC in 1961 as a mathematician staff specialist and followed a steady path up the corporate ladder. He became president and chief operating officer in 1980 and chairman and CEO in 1986. In 1990, he retired and set his own life in a new direction. He’s now president and CEO of PSV Inc., a consortium of consultants specializing in technology commercialization and corporate strategy. He’s also an author, professor, entrepreneur and volunteer. Now the College of Sciences at Georgia Tech is benefiting from his experience. During his years with Control Data, Price’s main connection with Tech was following athletics. It was Tech Provost Gary Schuster, then dean of the College of Sciences, who brought Price back to Tech. “There are lots of things I can do with my time — and have,” Price says. “What intrigued me during our conversation is that Tech ‘walks the talk’ of interdisciplinary activity. I have been involved with half a dozen academic institutions as a student or professor, and Tech does more rather than just talk about being an interdisciplinary school.” Price believes interdisciplinary activity is the key to a successful business. “Breaking down the silos in business is absolutely essential in beginning any kind of truly productive organization. And breaking down the silos in business is child’s play compared to breaking down silos in an academic institution,” he says, citing the reinforcing practice of peer review. “It is different [at Tech] and that gives me a sense of pride in what’s going on. Georgia Tech is training better scientists, executives and leaders,” Price says. His satisfaction was demonstrated recently with his gift that created the Robert M. Price Jr. graduate fellowships in science. In 2005, Price published the well-reviewed book, “The Eye for Innovation” (Yale Press). “Bob Price eloquently tells a story of innovation and entrepreneurial leadership in the competitive environment of technology,” said former Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca. Price says, “Innovation is all about meeting need in a new and more productive way. At the root of any robust business is a high degree of innovation. I was very fortunate to be a member of Control Data, the most innovative organization I have ever known. People worked together to solve problems. All companies say this, but few do it. “We treated the employee as a whole person. You don’t leave your problems at home when you go to work. If those problems distract your attention, your focus and your energy, you simply can’t be as productive,” Price says. “Control Data pioneered confidential employee advisory resources. It was a worldwide service. Employees could call a hotline. We could give them emergency help or direct them to counseling services where they lived. This was in the 1960s.” Control Data was global before global was cool. “We called it ‘international,’” Price says. “The initial product thrust of Control Data was high-performance scientific computers. The first computer Control Data made, delivered in 1960, was seven times faster and cost half as much” as the competition. By 1961, Control Data was exporting computers to the United Kingdom and Israel. While still at Control Data, Price founded a nonprofit, the National Center for Social Entrepreneurs (www.missionmoneymatters.org), dedicated to helping other not-for-profits improve their sustainability by increasing their earned income capacity. Now that he’s “retired,” Price devotes more of his time to this passion, encouraging organizations to innovate by taking a more strategic approach to today’s marketplace. Price doesn’t believe in slowing down. He still hikes and fishes when he can. He also blogs regularly on www.eye4innovation.typepad.com to continue the thought processes he presented in his book. GT 76 Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine • Spring 2008 http://www.eye4innovation.typepad.com http://www.eye4innovation.typepad.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.