Thomson Reuters and Innovation: Oxymoron?

December 9, 2011

Whoa, Nellie! I read “Thomson Reuters Selected by UK Government to Help Support Entrepreneurs and New Business Start-Ups.” Quite a surprise. Thomson Reuters is not a master of innovation. Yet here is the UK tapping the giant $13 billion, no growth and narrowing margins outfit for a key role in UK business creativity. Thomson Reuters is a a merger which has mostly disappointed stakeholders. Some individual units are innovative; for example, WestlawNext after years of gestation has improved legal search. But other Thomson Reuters’ units are struggling to make technology work. In my opinion, Thomson Reuters focuses on hitting financial targets. If that’s innovation, well, okay. I just think that consistent creativity is more than managing hundreds of look alike products and services like an investment portfolio.

Here’s the passage that caught my attention:

The new online resources feature more than 100 videos produced by Thomson Reuters in addition to other e-learning tools containing new material for pre-start-ups and start-ups. The short 3-10 minute videos focus on the full range of issues that those starting up a business need to consider.

Videos. Are these the videos which Thomson Reuters will put on the YouTube Thomson Reuters’ channel? If so, this is a remarkable shift from doing to viewing. More is needed.

Maybe with the massive management shake up–which is the fourth in 30 months–Thomson Reuters can do innovation, not reorganization? See this Computerworld UK story about more management slip sliding away.

Stephen E Arnold, December 9, 2011

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Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his high-tech nerve center in rural Kentucky. He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets. He works with colleagues worldwide to make this Web log useful to those who want to go "beyond search". Contact him at sa [at] arnoldit.com. His Web site with additional information about search is arnoldit.com.