An inside account of one of the most innovative R&D ecosystems of the
20th century, from the man who was at the center of it all.
Over a 60-year career in public affairs, Vannevar Bush--engineer,
inventor, educator, and public face of government-funded science--sought
to eliminate roadblocks to innovation in science and technology. In
Pieces of the Action, a collection of memoir-essays, he reflects on
his role in shaping the policies and organizations that powered American
research and development in the mid-20th century.
As the architect and administrator of an R&D pipeline that efficiently
coordinated the work of civilian scientists and the military during
World War II, he was central to catalyzing the development of radar and
the proximity fuze, the mass production of penicillin, and the
initiation of the Manhattan Project. Pieces of the Action offers his
hard-won lessons on how to operate and manage effectively within complex
organizations, build bridges between people and disciplines, and drive
ambitious, unprecedented programs to fruition. With wry humor, Bush also
shares personal observations and anecdotes--pelting cows with apples,
poking fun at servicemen who tried to keep his own invention secret from
him--that offer a glimpse of the personality behind the accolades.
Originally published in 1970, this updated edition includes 15 archival
images from Bush's life and career and a foreword from entrepreneur and
Idea Machines podcast host Ben Reinhardt that contextualizes the lessons
Pieces of the Action can offer to contemporary readers: that change
depends both on heroic individuals and effective organizations; that a
leader's job is one of coordination; and that the path from idea to
innovation is a long and winding one, inextricably bound to those
involved--those enduring figures who have a piece of the action.
