Cover Story
Riding the cutting edge
How Battelle CEO Carl Kohrt manages 20,000 innovative thinkers every day
By Nancy Byron
Smart Business Columbus | June 2008
Page 1 of 5
Companies expect innovation from Carl Kohrt. No wonder. The
president and CEO of Battelle Memorial Institute oversees a
work force, which, over the years, has developed life-changing
technology, such as the first office photocopier, automotive
cruise control, UPC codes, compact disc technology and cut-resistant golf balls, just to name a few.
Naturally, Kohrt, who joined Battelle in 2001, hasn’t been there
for all of that, but as the leader of this Columbus-based innovation machine, he’s come to appreciate what it takes to maintain a
20,000-strong work force bent on discovering the next great idea.
“It’s really hard, and you have to have a thick skin,” Kohrt says
of managing innovative types. “They don’t particularly care about
titles. And generally, they think management is overrated. So the
sense is that I, as the leader, have to find ways to help them have
resources — appropriate resources — and help them facilitate
their use.”
You also have to be clear about what kind of innovation you are
expecting.
“Looking for the unusual is only one part of innovation,” Kohrt says.
“You can spend all your time doing that and finding nothing. The second part of innovation is doing it with a purpose. Companies that
know their business, that know their industry, that know their customers can innovate for product extensions or product improvements.
“Then there’s innovation of looking for a new problem to solve or a
new way of doing it. Many entrepreneurs work in those areas. They’re
looking for the pain in the industry and a new solution to that pain that
someone is willing to pay for.”
All three types of innovation-seeking go on at Battelle, which conducts $4.1 billion in annual research and development for government agencies, private sector customers and corporations around
the globe. Last year, 13 of those quests were successful enough to be
named among the 100 most significant scientific and technological
innovations in the world.
Here’s how Kohrt continues to build on Battelle’s reputation —
and how your company could develop a more innovative work
force.
