Apathy, Take Two

摘要

As I write this column, the horrific attacks of September 11 are almost five months old. The media is wondering what guarantees we Americans have that there won't be another attack, and I am struck by how the non-technical press is looking for solid answers to related situations like the anthrax dilemma. They want protection, absolute answers and assurances - despite the fact that we are operating in a new paradigm for which there are more questions than answers. This penchant for guarantees has become a constant in the fabric of America, and it permeates our style of management, too. The business style in our manufacturing sector has become universally defensive. Instead of taking risks for potentially extraordinary gains, it seems our industry needs to be absolutely assured of the outcome before investing in new technology. In my previous column on apathy (see CI, September 2001, p. 18), I expressed concern about the level of indifference I saw in the U.S. ceramic industries compared to the rest of the world, based on the comparison between the ceramitec exhibition in Munich - dynamic, exciting and innovative - and the ACerS meeting in Indianapolis - poorly attended, small and generally uninteresting. Wow, what a response I got from that column! I found that technical people in ceramic manufacturing are not apathetic at all; they are only discouraged by the unwillingness of those who control the corporate purse strings to invest in their American operations.