What 45 Years Taught Me About Doing it Wrong | Dr. Michael Winter | TEDxInnovation Drive

Dr. Michael Winter, Chief Scientist at RTX, argues that the most common failure in innovation is not bad science or a lack of resources but smart people asking questions that are too narrow. The talk examines why a breakthrough is never the end of the story and why the key question is whether a team solved the right problem, not only whether it solved the problem. Drawing on 45 years of experience in aerospace and defense, Dr. Winter discusses technologies such as fuel cells, lasers, combustion and propulsion. The talk was given at TEDxInnovation Drive, an independently organized TEDx event.

• Why smart teams often fail by asking questions that are too small
• Why a breakthrough is not the end of the innovation process
• Solving the right problem versus solving the stated problem
• Lessons from 45 years of aerospace and defense work

Dr. Winter makes the case that the most common failure in innovation isn’t bad science or lack of resources. It’s smart people asking questions that are too small. He shows why the breakthrough is never the end of the story, and why the question that separates great innovators from brilliant failures is not “did we solve it?” but “did we solve the right thing? Chief Scientist at RTX, the largest Aerospace and defense company, (merger of Raytheon and United Technologies) where he shapes the company’s cross-enterprise technology strategy and accelerates innovation across aerospace and defense. With 45 years of experience, Dr. Winter work has enabled major commercial and military aircraft platforms with technologies spanning fuel cells, lasers, combustion, and propulsion systems. The inventor on more than 50 patents and over 50 technical articles, a fellow of AIAA and the Royal Aeronautical Society, and a member of the Connecticut Academy of Science & Engineering. He is widely respected for his deep technical insight and his ability to demystify complex aerospace challenges and is known for combining a “lab-rat” curiosity with a strategic, enterprise-wide perspective. He holds a Ph.D. and a Master of Philosophy, as well as a Master of Science from Yale University, and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx