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Bell Labs enjoys a rich tradition of inventions and innovations that has
fundamentally changed the capacity of humankind to live a richer and more
fulfilling life. Among its many contributions, the organization has
served as a well-spring of blueprints and ideas – most commercialized as
technologies, applications and services that have defined and evolved the
world’s communication systems. As part of the Alcatel-Lucent innovation
engine, Bell
Labs creativity is at the heart of a wide variety of technologies
incorporated within Alcatel-Lucent products, solutions and services that are
available in the market today.
Since its inception, Bell Labs has recognized that both multiple dimensions
of research as well
as cross-discipline interactions are critical to the invention process.
Fundamental research is one such key dimension; another is applied
research. Counted among the scientific disciplines within the Labs are
mathematics and algorithmic sciences, physical sciences and nanotechnology,
optical and photonic technologies, software and computer science, data
networking, wireless and broadband technologies, and a host of others.
But the character of Bell Labs is defined not only in terms of these dimensions
and disciplines, but also in how its scientists are themselves networked – how
they interact with customers, the business units, and among themselves to
converge on new ideas. Many of the Labs’ most renowned inventions
resulted from the serendipity of a lunchtime discussion, an unexpected
experimental result that was shared with others, or sometimes, the application
of one idea to another project in a completely different and unorthodox
manner.
Above all else -- beyond the research, beyond the collaboration -- is a
shared commitment among Bell Labs’ scientists to rapidly transition great ideas
out of the laboratory and into the market. This is ingrained within the
culture of Bell Labs, and is reflected in its mission: “To be the
undisputed industry leader in innovative R&D, giving Alcatel-Lucent a
decisive advantage in the marketplace.”
Realizing this mission requires insight into the needs of current and future
customers. And so whether the focus of a scientist is related to
fundamental research in pioneering new materials, or optimization algorithms,
or network security software, each researcher is driven both by meeting the
needs of the market today and by anticipating its future needs.
Another essential dimension of the Bell Labs’ research culture can be summed
up in two words: Innovating Innovation. This means that the Labs is
continually reassessing and improving how it contributes to Alcatel-Lucent and
ensures that it not only remains merely ahead of the competition, but also
leads the market. It is a culture of continuous self examination that
requires a nimble and flexible group of scientists with a commitment to travel
new paths and seek out new approaches.
There are two key ingredients for creating a culture of Innovating
Innovation:
First is a critical mass of diverse scientists and engineers that
generate big ideas and work through those ideas from multiple angles. Bell Labs
is unique in the depth and breadth of its disciplines – down the hall from
anyone is an expert in almost anything. Collectively, these researchers
have the capacity to approach complex issues from a variety of perspectives and
integrate those perspectives into astonishing solutions.
The second ingredient is the infusion and adoption of an entrepreneurial
persona which ensures that some of the most promising near term research
assets are rapidly driven into the business and delivered into the
market. Bell Labs has created a process where some of the best and
brightest minds can work together to direct research insights and innovations
into a commercializable product and then validate that product in the
marketplace. The result? This entrepreneurial initiative quickly
and efficiently converts inventions and innovations into validated and valued
solutions, services, and products within the Alcatel-Lucent portfolio.
It can be a challenge to characterize Bell Labs as an institution owing to
its many personalities. It’s a research organization, both fundamental
and applied. It’s a unique and diverse set of expertise reaching across a
wide gamut of scientific disciplines. It’s a group of scientists who are
entrepreneurs, inventors, consultants and Nobel Prize winners. It is an
institution that has played a major role in some of the most revolutionary
inventions of the last hundred years, and yet today turns out a continuous
stream of smaller innovations for customers such as tools that help reduce the
expense of operating a network. It is an organization that has left giant
footprints on the communications landscape, but continues to explore new paths
in uncharted territory. The tradition of Bell Labs is ever present within
its halls, but that tradition never inhibits adaptation and innovating
innovation.
In the end, this unique and valued institution can best be characterized by
its results – and perhaps, by its promise.
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