Thomas Newcomen invented the steam engine in 1712. From an early age, Watt was good at engineering and math. He studied instruments in London before returning to Scotland to set up his own business, which did not go so well.
Watt then got a job repairing instruments at the University of Glasgow. In 1764, the University of Glasgow had a Newcomen steam engine that was not working well and James Watt was asked to help repair. He got extremely interested in the steam engine in general – and in particular how much steam was escaping – and he designed a separate condenser. Four years later, he entered into a partnership to manufacture engines and received a patent in 1769. The business did not go well. He had become a land surveyor, mapping canal routes, but did not want to give up on the engine – constantly tinkering. In 1775, three years after his first partner went bankrupt, he joined with Matthew Boulton and moved to Birmingham to continue to work on the engine. Watt continued to add new developments and enhance the engine throughout the next 25 years, ending only upon retirement.
The steam engine changed history. While much is owed to Thomas Newcomen, it was not until James Watt and the pursuit of his passion that it started to produce a real impact on manufacturing, commerce, transportation, and virtually all facets of life at the start of the Industrial Revolution.
Managers and HR professionals can find several lessons in the life and work of James Watt. He never gave up on pursuing his passion. He took different jobs and forged new partnerships - for almost 50 years - to see his dream of a better steam engine become reality. Empowering people to be curious, to experiment, and to find their passion is a great way to help build team capabilities, improve morale, increase retention and engagement. Modern-day events like hackathons or 20 percent time capture the spirit of James Watt and his endless pursuit of perfection.
One could argue that the Watt steam engine had more influence on the world of work than anything, before or since. Some, certainly many workers in the Industrial Revolution would say it was negative. We can learn much from James Watt and his drive to make an impact. In the epic song Imagine, John Lennon sung of being a dreamer, and managers and HR professionals need to take the time to listen – and to support the dreams of employees like James Watt – encouraging them to pursue their passions and make their dreams a reality. These are the people that will change the world.
As Margaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Read other posts in this series.
Ross Smith, FRSA Modern Workplace Engineering - Supportability Ross is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts and blogger. Author of The Practical Guide to Defect Prevention and holds seven patents. He is currently a Ph.D. Scholar, part of University College Dublin's SmartLab program, researching the impact of AI, robotics, and automation on worker displacement. He has worked at Microsoft for over 28 years and is a member of the Leadership Council for the Anita Borg Institute, co-chair for Grace Hopper Organizational Transformation track. He is a co-leader of ABI Local in Seattle, and part of the gender partner LT and ”male ally” panel discussions at the IEEE Women in Technology and National Center for Women in Technology (NCWIT) Summit and TechCrunch. Work with iUrbanTeen and Native Americans at Microsoft. He is a member of the board of Spreeha, working to break the cycle of poverty. Developed 42projects to promote cultural change, develop organizational trust and improve the lives of the managed. To help develop the next generation’s interest in STEAM (STEM+Arts), he works with Skype in the Classroom program and events like iUrbanTeen day at Microsoft. He was invited to the White House for discussion on women in STEM. Keynote speaker for the ARTBA’s Transovation 2014-2016. The work of his teams has been mentioned in Forbes, The Economist, the Wall Street Journal, PSFK, the American Journal of Play, Harvard Business Review, and the London School of Business. He has presented at SXSW, MIT Solve, Grace Hopper, Serious Play, Games for Change, and several other large conferences. His academic research papers are published on ResearchGate. He is a blogger for SHRM has worked on Skype Translator. He is an avid reader and loves to travel.
- 0
- 470 views
Add new comment