The US of A is the greatest democracy in human history. That’s why it does not trust its citizens to choose their presidents directly. Although the Congress has made over 700 (!) attempts to repeal the Electoral College, it never succeeded in gathering the necessary majority for setting the process in motion.
By contrast, Israel has changed its electoral policy twice in as many decades and is mulling revamping it yet again in the coming years. It is this flippancy about rules that exasperates me in my otherwise beloved homeland. Not that Israelis don’t hold by rules. Israelis feel free to redefine the rules whenever the rules don’t suit the Israelis’ taste.
Yet as always, the downside has its upside. The Israelis’ “says who” attitude is directly responsible for the country’s innovation renaissance. In the past couple of years, several explanations of Israel’s hi-tech explosion have been forwarded. Authors of Start-Up Nation pinned this success on chutzpa and universal military draft. Tal Ben Shahar’s Israel Inside added the values of family and positive contribution to the mix. I think there is more to the story.
In his by now classic Linchpin, Seth Godin suggests that in order to succeed in the new economy, we must throw away the rule books. If the old assembly line based economy required cogs, new markets call for lynchpins, irreplaceable artists creating unique approaches and thinking up non-traditional solutions.
Considering that as Jews we have the oldest living rule book in the world, it would seem ironic for Israelis to become consummate rule breakers. Yet our Rule Book comes with a built-in capacity for change and recalibration. Then again, having spent the last 2,000 years in hostile environments, with most rules directed squarely against us, it is little wonder we aren’t very amiable to rules.
David Ben Gurion once quipped that to be a realist in Israel you have to believe in miracles. Ever since the Exodus from Egypt, the rules of realpolitik consistently fail to apply in this region. Feeling unbound by constraints, Israelis have found ways to breed fish in the desert and sell snow to Austrians and Russians.
On the other hand, this is also why Israelis can never hold their own in sports – there are just too many regulations.
Despite having worked with some very innovative companies and non-profits around here, I never stop being amazed by the next big thing. Learning about my clients’ bright ideas is probably the best part of managing this company.
I find it ironic that the governments of obedience-obsessed countries like Korea and Singapore look to Israel for innovation education. Innovation is a mindset, not a technique. Though, personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing Israelis learn a thing or two about discipline. Stability is nice for a change.
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