Leadership Thought and Creativity

Leadership Thought and Creativity

Overview/Summary

The real-world self-leadership case is one of the many patent rights dispute cases in technology and innovation. Philo Farnsworth found himself in a legal battle over the patent rights of the invention of the television despite him being the author of the original idea of making an electronic television. Through his creative and critical thinking abilities, Farnsworth designed an electronic television that uses transmitters that transmit images electronically to the remote screen (Schatzkin, 2002). This idea was never in existence since he was the first to carry out many experiments and managed to piece together various electronic ideas to develop the television. However, Farnsworth was young and came from a poor background; hence, he did not have the resources to manufacture and commercialize his ideas.

Moreover, Farnsworth did not have patent rights; thus, he started from scratch by applying for U.S patents to protect his inventions. RCA engineers became interested in Farnsworth’s work and asked him to sell them the rights to this great invention. Farnsworth refused to sell his invention rights but insisted on being paid royalties for the invention (Stashower, 2002). A legal battle started between Farnsworth and the RCA engineers. The legal battle took long, but in the end, Farnsworth won the title of being the original owner of the invention rights after the court established that he was the one who invented and created the television transmitters before any other person. Do you need urgent assignment help ? Get in touch with us.

Farnsworth started producing commercial televisions, but his production was interrupted by World War II when the U.S. government suspended the production of televisions, and by the time the war ended, the patent rights were nearing expiry dates. RCA engineers are widely credited as the creators of television, but in reality, the original inventor of television was Philo Farnsworth (Schatzkin, 2002). Farnsworth did not get much recognition for this great invention because of the external factors that hindered him from flourishing.

Questions and Answers

Question 1

Farnsworth indeed believed that his actions and choices would affect his life. Farnsworth knew that there were many opportunities to sell his invention rights to make wealth but knew that this action would make him lose control of the long-term development of the idea (Stashower, 2002). Farnsworth was sure that his first invention, the television, would not be the only invention under his name, but he was sure that he would invent many more ideas. Thus, selling off the patent rights for his first invention would have hindered him from developing other ideas on the television idea. Further, Farnsworth managed to invent many more things, and at his death, he had been granted more than 300 patent rights (Schatzkin, 2002). This means that if Farnsworth had taken the action of selling off his first invention, it could be hard for him to continue with his inventions. Notably, the first invention rights buyers would not have allowed him to build other inventions on the first idea. Thus, Farnsworth was sure that his actions and choices could easily break or make him.

Question 2

Farnsworth was hindered by several external obstacles to achieving his dreams. The first obstacle was inadequate resources. Farnsworth was born into a humble family, meaning that he did not have enough resources to fund his projects. The inadequacy of the resources delayed his dream, but when he partnered with the investors, he managed to put up a lab that he used to invent the television. The second external obstacle was government regulations (Stashower, 2002). The acquisition of patent rights to protect the inventions was tedious and costly for non-established inventors like Farnsworth. Moreover, government regulation in the suspension of television production during World War II was another obstacle that prevented Farnsworth from achieving his dream of mass production of televisions.

Question 3

Farnsworth shaped his world in many ways through his behaviors. First, Farnsworth dropped out of the Naval Academy after realizing that his dream of developing a television would be lost if he continued staying there. Therefore, his persistent spirit helped him pursue his dream, and he finally succeeded in building his dream. Patience is another characteristic that defined Farnsworth; he did not rush to sell his patent rights to get wealth (Schatzkin, 2002). He knew that having control of his developments would earn him more wealth and respect in the future than rushing to sell out the patent rights of his first invention. His patience enabled him to have more patent rights under his name later.

The world around him also played a crucial role in shaping his behaviors. First, while he was a young boy, the availability of science magazines provided him with an opportunity to read and learn new science concepts, helping him develop an interest in science subjects (Stashower, 2002). The cannibalism and greediness of the established inventors who wanted to adopt his ideas without appreciating his effort forced Farnsworth to develop rigid behaviors that prevented him from selling his patent rights.

Question 4

One of the personal factors that made Farnsworth refuse to sell his patents to follow his dreams was the fact that his ability to invent more based on the first invention would be taken away. Farnsworth knew that this invention of the television was not the only invention he would have. He knew that he could invent more other things and that selling the patents would destabilize him in his quest to invent more items (Schatzkin, 2002). Another personal factor that made Farnsworth refuse to sell his patent right was that his name would not be found in history books since other people would be recognized for his inventions. Farnsworth forsook the opportunity to create wealth by selling his invention to retain the credit for his work.

Question 5

I believe Farnsworth was not a failure; he succeeded greatly. Before his death in 1971, Farnsworth had over 300 patent rights registered. This means that he invented many other things apart from inventing the television (Houghton & Cathelyn, 2013). While his patent rights expired when he had not gained much from commercial televisions, he still succeeded in creating other items and contributed immensely to the science field. Farnsworth is among the few inventors who have contributed to transforming lives in societies.

Critical Aspects

One of the critical aspects, in this case, is the issue of patent rights ownership. This case shows that patent rights ownership has been a problem for many years where several inventors have scrambled for ownership rights for particular inventions. The second critical issue, in this case, is the inadequacy of the resources on the side of the young inventors (Houghton & Cathelyn, 2013). Inadequate resources hinder many young people from inventing more. Another important aspect is that partnership with other inventors and funders could help actualize certain dreams in the innovation sector.

Reflection

The Real-World Self-Leadership story brings out common issues found in the innovation field, even in the modern innovation society. The dispute presented in the case is similar to the many cases that we see and witness involving several inventors claiming the patent’s ownership rights for a particular invention. Thus, through this case study, I have learned that the cases of ownership rights are not new; they were there before, and they still exist and will be there in the future. Through this case, I have learned that some inventors have been credited falsely for the work of other people. It is possible that other people originally made some inventions, but because they did not have the resources to fight for ownership rights, the rights were snatched from them. This implies that there were once great inventors who contributed a lot to science, but they have not been recognized in the books of history.

In addition, the Real-World Self-Leadership case has taught me that young inventors should be ready to fight and protect what belongs to them and not give in to the pressures. Farnsworth fought to protect the patent rights for his television invention, and he did not consider selling his rights. Despite the lucrative opportunity of making wealth, Farnsworth was not in a hurry to make wealth by selling his patent rights; he was patient and fought to protect his name rather than make wealth. Another aspect I have learned from this case study is that people should never give up on their dreams. Farnsworth dreamt of developing an electronic television. He read widely and experimented for many years. He went to the extent of dropping out of the Naval Academy to remain focused on his dream. He believed in himself, and in the end, he realized his dream of creating television. Thus, people should work hard and remain focused on their dreams to achieve them.

References

Houghton, J Cathelyn, L.  (2013). Instructor’s Manual, Mastering Self-leadership: Empowering Yourself for Personal Excellence. 6^th Ed. Pearson Education Inc., New York.

Schatzkin, P. (2002). The Boy Who Invented Television: A Story of Inspiration, Persistence and Quiet Passion. Silver Springs, MD: TeamCom Books.

Stashower, D. (2002). The Boy Genius and the Mogul: The Untold Story of Television. New York: Broadway Books.

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1. Write a brief Overview/Summary of the case in your own words describing the nature and/or background information pertaining to the case.
2. Write the question, then Answer and Respond to all of the Questions in the case. Use the chapter content to strengthen and support your answers.

Leadership Thought and Creativity

3. In your opinion, what were some Critical Aspects and/or Assessments in the cases that were identified? What were some Critical Aspects that you perceived to be very vital?
4. Write a minimum 1-page Reflection on what you learned from the case in relation to leadership and managing innovation and change.
5. Make sure your paper format is outlined with the following: (1) Cover Page Sectional Headings; (2) Overview/Summary; (3) Questions and Answers; (4) Critical Aspects and/or Assessments; and (5) Reflection Page.