Creativity Central [Marty Baker]

If John Abele's name isn't familiar, his legacy should be.  He is  the retired founder and chairman of Boston Scientific Corporation, a 16,000 employee, $6 billion global company that provides products used to treat diseases or injuries of the heart, brain, digestive tract, urinary system, lungs, and vascular system.  

At the Business Innovation Factory Collaborative Innovation Summit, he will take the stage (along with 20 of the nation's leading innovators) to tell his story.  One of his most compelling stories is personal.  On July 30, 1942, the USS Grunion, a Gato-class submarine was experiencing heavy anti-submarine activity and was ordered  back to Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base in the Aleutian Islands off of mainland Alaska. 

The Grunion was never heard from nor seen again.  John's father was a Lt. Commander aboard the Grunion.  He was survived by a wife and three sons, Bruce, Brad and John. Fragmented childhood memories of John Abele's father were reignited when his middle brother Brad began a curious quest for details surrounding the sinking of the Grunion. He began talking to a number of people who had known his father as well as a number of veterans who had served in the Aleutians during WW II. In the end, he was unable to find any useful clues on its fate. 

At the turn of the century, technology finally caught up with Abele when he and his brothers began steadily communicating online with other people who also shared an interest in World War II submarines. In 2002 he connected with a Japanese man, Yutaka Iwasaki, who had found an obscure Japanese merchant marine journal article related to the Grunion. Serendipity met social networking that day.

Abele and his brothers launched a hunt for the Grunion.  In the fall of 2006, about a mile down in the Aleutian chain, the team located a object that appeared to be the right size and shape for the sunken sub. The following year, equipped with a remote-operated vehicle, the team returned to the site and on August 17th, found the Grunion at a depth of over 1000 meters.

"We couldn't have made this discovery without the collaboration of a number of Japanese individuals as well as numerous other technical collaborators," says Abele. "It took some extraordinary personalities to accomplish our mission."  The Grunion story is more than just following dreams and finding answers.  "This is the story of just getting started," explains Abele.  "We've got this collection of people from all over the world forming communities around the Grunion."

Community and collaboration have become Abele's newest exploration.  As the owner of The Kingbridge Centre and Institute, a 120-room conference center in Ontario, he is researching how collective intelligence can give way to collective capability.  

"Someone asked me recently what the most important tools is to get people to collaborate better. It's not technology, it's leadership," he says. "To create an environment where people like to collaborate, you literally have to understand every single member of the group.  It's a fascinating flock of birds phenomena that makes the whole experience rewarding."

The experience of John telling his collaborative story promises to be equally rewarding.

MB