Michigan has betrayed its own identity. It might sound harsh, but let’s face it, once the heart of innovation and entrepreneurship in the world, Michigan is now struggling to stay afloat. To be sure, Michigan has lost its “mojo.” The question is, why?
The easy answer is that we didn’t diversify, but what we really need to concentrate on is why we didn’t diversify. The auto industry put Michigan on the map. And yet, it also created a culture of complacency Sure, we might’ve “had it too good for too long,” but it is the business culture of the auto industry that prevented the development of a creative and innovative society.

People employed in Michigan manufacturing usually work on assembly lines in some production facility. The structure of these firms is a pyramid: processes are largely set by a few top executives; a larger set of supervisors are positioned to ensure that orders from the top are carried out efficiently and effectively, and the largest group, lower level employees, by and large, simply take these orders. Most people in the organization thus have little involvement in the decision making process or in leading business initiatives. Most aren’t responsible for implementing change in the company, or ensuring that the company remains competitive in the future.
This type of model doesn’t demand much from the employee outside of assigned tasks, which certainly isn’t the recipe for creativity and innovation. Because most Michiganders have in some way or another been employed by the auto industry, nearly everyone in this state has been shaped by the business culture created by the auto industry. This has made us slow to adapt and unable to think outside of the box.

Well guess what? It’s time to start. Governor Granholm recently said that she is “optimistic” that the Big Three will survive this economic downturn. I think that would be great, but I also think that Michigan needs to start preparing for life without them. This means promoting and cultivating new, dynamic businesses that empower employees to become creative and entrepreneurial thinkers. These businesses demand more from their employees by asking them to find their own answers. Managers and CEOs of these firms make it clear to employees that their opinions and suggestions are valued, no matter where they come from in the firm. These are the marks of an “intropreneurial” firm, one that demands creativity out of each of its members. Michigan desperately needs to create this culture of free thinkers and innovators, rather than order-takers to get out of these desperate economic times.

Changing a culture won’t be easy, and will take a cooperative effort between our business, education, and government communities to make this shift. But like the governor, I am optimistic about our state. All we need to do is get back to our roots by forming businesses that demand that each individual come up with new, innovative ideas and find their own creative solutions. This is how we can revive an entrepreneurial business culture.

Dan Redford