Week 11 Reading

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 
What stood out most to me was the specific definition of the innovation system:
 innovation system: a coherent set of interdependent processes and structures that dictates how the company searches for novel problems and solutions, synthesizes ideas into a business concept and product designs, and selects which projects get funded.
The idea that innovation within a company s large as Google, for example, requires all departments to be interdependent. 

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

The idea that it is not advisable to have the R&D department working on separate projects is confusing to me.

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

I would ask how far the leader's should be looking to start planning for R&D? 2 years out from expected release? 1 year? 6 months?

And also,

What should the balance be for a company that is seeking to innovate in basic processes and also in high functioning technology?

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

I don't think that R&D necessarily needs to always be working in the same direction for the company to succeed. I think having a single or few separate projects always paving the way for the rest of the R&D team to eventually get on track would be the best way to view this scheme.