— Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Professor and author of Move: Putting America’s Infrastructure Back in the Lead, in a recent interview for DC Velocity, reflecting on what it will take to convince people of the urgency of addressing infrastructure problems. Professor Kanter also was featured in an Up-Close Conversation at the 2015 AWESOME Symposium.
The main point of the DC Velocity interview, conducted by Peter Bradley, is that the discussion about infrastructure needs to be reframed “not around fixing roads and bridges or dredging ports, but around mobility and economic opportunity.”
As part of a project at Harvard Business School on U.S. competitiveness, she and the others involved began “digging into what are seen as the strengths and weaknesses of America.” In terms of importance, next to education, logistics and infrastructure was a major concern. Professor Kanter then called a summit of business leaders, government leaders, advocates, and activists. When they agreed the public doesn’t understand the magnitude of the problems, she decided to write Move.