1. ‘Heroic’ Origin of Innovation
In 1986 STC had a HK$ 3 billion contract to instal the first private optical transatlantic telecommunications cable. This technology was an undoubted success for STC but how did it originate? In 1966, Charles Kao (who later became a president of CUHK) and George Hockham asked the Board of STC for the first HK$ 60,000 research allocation. Clearly, the original idea did not emerge from a formal requirements analysis. It emerged from the creativity and entrepreneurship of two individuals.
Charles Kao, Management of Technological Innovation, KV Patri