Formica Series #2: Back to the ‘Quadruple Helix’

While in Amsterdam last year, I met a middle-aged Nigerian who, like me, was returning to Lagos. Mr. X (let’s call him that) is a Ph.D based in the United Kingdom and a marketing professional by career. He was perhaps overjoyed to see someone of my age in that country all by myself—something I will never forget—, but what struck me the most during our conversation was the stark contrast he drew between the economic and political systems of the UK and those of Nigeria. His words could be summarized in one statement: there can only be stagnancy or decline when the four tiers of a nation’s economy (the 'quadruple helix' of academia, industry, government, and society) are neither collaborating nor adequately performing their respective tasks to move the nation forward.

Like many other developing countries, my country happens to be a proof of this statement, as these tiers are disunited on a large scale. Much of the academia is less interested in industry trends, resulting in an obsolete system of education and research. The few academics who recommend policies to transform key sectors are rarely given listening ears. Some industry players see academic research as fruitless and time-wasting. The government enacts policies that favour neither the academia nor the industry. And most unfortunately, society despises the government for their apparent nonchalance. We exist in a guerrilla warfare among ourselves, one that can be resolved with a set of bold moves by these players.

My generation has been inspired by many icons in history, from Steve Jobs and Bill Gates who discontinued their education and changed the world to Vijay Kumar and Clayton Christensen who have transformed society through education and research. But with this inspiration—and our societal problems—has come an equal dose of confusion, because in the quest to be successful, we’ve begun to weigh and compare these paths on scales. Without considering passion or purpose, we ask ourselves, is it better to further my academic career or to get into the industry? Or should I strive towards becoming a policymaker?  And when we cannot answer these questions, we follow life wherever it leads us, thus building a nation of people who follow life wherever it leads them.

But what Formica teaches us, as he writes in his Stories of Innovation for the Millennial Generation, is that none of these should be seen as more important than the other, because it is this outlook that breeds the disunity in the first place. First, all strands of this helix have their roles to play in creating change on a large scale. It is not enough to have people in governmental seats who have both academic and industrial backgrounds, or to have professors with work experience—both of whom are rather prevalent in my country. Second, each of them has an obligation to innovate within their field. To create a value chain whereby the academia conducts and propagates research, the industry commercializes research and creates new markets, the government implements policies to maintain demand and partners with industry to sponsor research, and the society enjoys an improved quality of life through new markets and new solutions to problems. Third, they must work together for today’s entrepreneurs to succeed.

“Dad, when I grow up, I want to be a digital book,” is the statement made by a young tree to its parent in Formica’s book. To realize something so unthinkable, Formica notes, this tree has learnt new models of business driven by the quadruple helix—models that “could be achieved only through cooperation...” When these four forces combine as one team—a team of parties that listen to one another, live up to their respective responsibilities, and facilitate each other’s goals—then a nation can grow exponentially through innovation. And just as this young tree is redefining the way to be a tree, we too would be redefining the way to be a country.