For whatever small reason, a sidebar link at the New York Times site Kodak Article, I took a short trip back in time via the Net to see what was going on at Kodak Park today, August 2008, especially in research where I’d spent five years in Building 59 from 1966-71 at the experienced ages of 27-32. Maybe this was triggered because my boss at Kodak, one of the very few creative and future thinking people I’ve ever known at Kodak had recently died, Earl Kage.
Earl, Director of the Motion Picture Research Studios, as a supervisory person, did not play the power game as so many at large corporations do. He was dedicated to having his photographers, seven including himself, produce the finest output of images possible.
I was the most recent hired photographer having been offered the job and lured away from the George Eastman House where I’d been on staff for three years. I was also the only college educated photographer having studied at Rochester Institute of Technology and had considerable knowledge of the chemistry, physics, and processes that Kodak used.
The studios main objective was the testing of every Kodak produced film product for still and motion picture cameras. This also included all competitors’ products for comparison. In between testing assignments Earl would have us use the studios or to go out and shoot whatever we wanted just as long as the images were excellent and creative. These would be used to present at various times to Kodak employees showing everyone how excellent were the Kodak films as well as promotional and recruiting.
This is the first installment of the power games supervisory people play as they have occurred to or been witnessed by me over the past forty years. The NY Times article quite infuriated me because of the truths contained within it! The arrogant viewed superiority and narrow mindedness of those in charge of research, and no doubt many other departments, was a direct, as I saw it, impediment to Kodak’s future. It probably continues to this day and is certainly a major reason for Kodak’s decompression. Check out the NY Times link above.
Here’s an example that took place many years ago.
A typical corporate chemistry lab during the 1960s. Unknown person.
Sam Campanaro, my immediate supervisor and first under Earl Kage, and I were assigned to do some photography in a newly built research building on the banks far above the Genesee River a block or so north and across Lake Avenue. We loaded Sam’s car with lights, 4×5 and 35mm cameras, ancillary items and lots of film. We expected to be shooting for about three full days. The photos would be used in a variety of publications and displays.
We set up in one or two of the many excellent labs in the tall, newly constructed building. Break time came in mid-morning and so with our hosts, the lab researchers, headed down to the excellent cafeteria. It was, as I recall, on the first floor and in the southeast corner of the building with window looking out over the river’s gorge to the east and south. It was light and airy with high ceilings and many tables and chairs. The scientists were filing into the room lining up along the long serving area where snacks and refreshments were readily available.
Since we were almost first to form the line our hosts verbally guided us through the procedure of getting coffee and doughnuts. Sam and I took our trays, selected a nice table close to the windows and sat down. Our hosts came over but would not sit down. They stood at the end of the table. Nor did anyone else sit down. Each took their tray and left the cafeteria! Sam and I didn’t know what to think of this but were informed that we could not sit in the cafeteria—we had to return to our assigned labs and partake of the refreshments there! It was, we were told, a directive from the Head of this research building.
Sam and I looked at each other, drank our coffee, ate our doughnuts and talked with our hosts while they continued standing at the end of the table. Every person in the line both coming in and leaving looked over at us but said nothing as they continued on their directed ways. It was obvious that we breaking the rules.
For the afternoon break our hosts sat with us at the table but were not comfortable at all. A few people stopped by momentarily to ask questions. Since the photographers in our studio were always sharing everything to do with supporting our in-house customers, we could come up with solutions to the problems given us. It was always the way and always a win-win situation. Together we bounced ideas off each other. Why in heaven’s name did the myopic director of Building 81 (as I recall the number) segregate so much knowledge and idea people. The break times would enhance the transfer of ideas, in our view.
By the completion of our work on the third day, the cafeteria was filled with conversation from the seated scientists at each coffee break! Ideas were flowing as well as excitement with the sharing. Our photographs took second place, as Sam and I saw it, to the new environment we had instigated. We later learned the directive had been withdrawn following our revolution!
More to follow.
This entry was posted
on Sunday, August 17th, 2008 at 2:20 PM and is filed under General News/Commentary.
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A Small Revolution at Eastman Kodak!
Myopic Corporate Power
For whatever small reason, a sidebar link at the New York Times site Kodak Article, I took a short trip back in time via the Net to see what was going on at Kodak Park today, August 2008, especially in research where I’d spent five years in Building 59 from 1966-71 at the experienced ages of 27-32. Maybe this was triggered because my boss at Kodak, one of the very few creative and future thinking people I’ve ever known at Kodak had recently died, Earl Kage.
Earl, Director of the Motion Picture Research Studios, as a supervisory person, did not play the power game as so many at large corporations do. He was dedicated to having his photographers, seven including himself, produce the finest output of images possible.
I was the most recent hired photographer having been offered the job and lured away from the George Eastman House where I’d been on staff for three years. I was also the only college educated photographer having studied at Rochester Institute of Technology and had considerable knowledge of the chemistry, physics, and processes that Kodak used.
The studios main objective was the testing of every Kodak produced film product for still and motion picture cameras. This also included all competitors’ products for comparison. In between testing assignments Earl would have us use the studios or to go out and shoot whatever we wanted just as long as the images were excellent and creative. These would be used to present at various times to Kodak employees showing everyone how excellent were the Kodak films as well as promotional and recruiting.
This is the first installment of the power games supervisory people play as they have occurred to or been witnessed by me over the past forty years. The NY Times article quite infuriated me because of the truths contained within it! The arrogant viewed superiority and narrow mindedness of those in charge of research, and no doubt many other departments, was a direct, as I saw it, impediment to Kodak’s future. It probably continues to this day and is certainly a major reason for Kodak’s decompression. Check out the NY Times link above.
Here’s an example that took place many years ago.
A typical corporate chemistry lab during the 1960s. Unknown person.
Sam Campanaro, my immediate supervisor and first under Earl Kage, and I were assigned to do some photography in a newly built research building on the banks far above the Genesee River a block or so north and across Lake Avenue. We loaded Sam’s car with lights, 4×5 and 35mm cameras, ancillary items and lots of film. We expected to be shooting for about three full days. The photos would be used in a variety of publications and displays.
We set up in one or two of the many excellent labs in the tall, newly constructed building. Break time came in mid-morning and so with our hosts, the lab researchers, headed down to the excellent cafeteria. It was, as I recall, on the first floor and in the southeast corner of the building with window looking out over the river’s gorge to the east and south. It was light and airy with high ceilings and many tables and chairs. The scientists were filing into the room lining up along the long serving area where snacks and refreshments were readily available.
Since we were almost first to form the line our hosts verbally guided us through the procedure of getting coffee and doughnuts. Sam and I took our trays, selected a nice table close to the windows and sat down. Our hosts came over but would not sit down. They stood at the end of the table. Nor did anyone else sit down. Each took their tray and left the cafeteria! Sam and I didn’t know what to think of this but were informed that we could not sit in the cafeteria—we had to return to our assigned labs and partake of the refreshments there! It was, we were told, a directive from the Head of this research building.
Sam and I looked at each other, drank our coffee, ate our doughnuts and talked with our hosts while they continued standing at the end of the table. Every person in the line both coming in and leaving looked over at us but said nothing as they continued on their directed ways. It was obvious that we breaking the rules.
For the afternoon break our hosts sat with us at the table but were not comfortable at all. A few people stopped by momentarily to ask questions. Since the photographers in our studio were always sharing everything to do with supporting our in-house customers, we could come up with solutions to the problems given us. It was always the way and always a win-win situation. Together we bounced ideas off each other. Why in heaven’s name did the myopic director of Building 81 (as I recall the number) segregate so much knowledge and idea people. The break times would enhance the transfer of ideas, in our view.
By the completion of our work on the third day, the cafeteria was filled with conversation from the seated scientists at each coffee break! Ideas were flowing as well as excitement with the sharing. Our photographs took second place, as Sam and I saw it, to the new environment we had instigated. We later learned the directive had been withdrawn following our revolution!
More to follow.
This entry was posted on Sunday, August 17th, 2008 at 2:20 PM and is filed under General News/Commentary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.