Moss Kanter - MOVE

I find myself constantly looking for hope in this era of political dysfunction and economic uncertainty. I’ve reviewed a number of books over the last year that offered the possibility of positive change, with humankind drawing together to save our planet and those who inhabit it. Rosabeth Moss Kanter’s Move: How to Rebuild and Reinvent America’s Infrastructure (2015) is specifically focused on the U.S.A. and it provides numerous resources and documentation that the U.S. can deal with its decaying infrastructure challenge. 

Moss Kanter is a respected scholar and consultant; her network allowed her to get inside the details of many issues that require attention and this book focuses specifically on mobility infrastructure – rail, air, highways, and information. She wrote, “Mobility and its patterns determine who gets educated, who can get to a job, who can take advantage of what cities have to offer, and who can make deals or relationships and with whom” (Chapter 1 – locator 502). Her proposal for mobility infrastructures - repair, renew, or reinvent each.

Moss Kanter begins her analysis by providing a picture of a shared situation – a common fate that will attract consensus for action (much like Van Jones did in Beyond the Messy Truth). She indicated that those nations presently outperforming the U.S. in infrastructure have greater faith in government and its ability to address common concerns and a willingness to allocate public money to implement solutions. One example of the cost of failing infrastructure is that the estimated wasted time and fuel caused by congestion as American’s go to the workplace is $121 billion per year. In looking for solutions, how does the U.S. compare with other countries in its infrastructure investment?  The U.S. is 2.9% of GDP, the European Union is 5% of GDP, and China is 9% of GDP investment. Digging out of the infrastructure hole cannot be achieved if the investment is not increased. This investment may need to be partially financed through taxes but much of it could be raised through PPPs (Public-Private Partnerships).

First taking a look at rail, Moss Kanter substantiated how passenger rail failed so miserably while commercial/freight rail in the U.S. is the most efficient system in the world. How did freight break out of its previous mold? By cooperating with trucking to establish interlocking coalitions where both trucking and rail could benefit. In Chicago, freight and passenger rail now cross local and regional government lines and use new technologies to achieve greater efficiency and fewer delays. The examples of innovation and improvement in rail have been mirrored in air travel, with a particular focus on using new technologies to avoid bad weather (Total Turbulence) and improve flow from airport to airport. Again, using Chicago as an example, its O’Hare Airport is in the top 20 busiest in the world, it is in close proximity to rail and interstate highways and it is “within a one-day drive of 29% of North American consumers and within a two-day drive of 42% of consumers” (Chapter 3 – locator 1756). The response of a wise Chicago business community was to agree to expansion of the airport, new runways, and a much-anticipated renovation/reinvention of the terminals, even when some airlines resisted the cost of the infrastructure improvements they would share. Auto and information mobility provide additional opportunities to identify traffic routes that are less crowded (thus saving time and fuel) and will eventually offer opportunities for autonomous vehicles that will easily slide in and out of traffic patterns and reduce accidents. Zipcar and Uber (information information technology backbones) already provide alternative transportation for the growing number of urban residents who no longer want to own and pay taxes and insurance for a car.

In reflecting on interactions with those from other countries around the world, Moss Kanter indicated that the U.S. is now seen as more focused on banking and accumulated wealth of the few rather than building for the future public good. The international community has thus turned to other countries for how to build infrastructure to support development and bring prosperity to all. By contrast, while federal and state-level politicians are mired in their partisan bickering, mayors have stepped up to support important infrastructure initiatives. Michael Bloomberg of New York City, Manny Diaz of Miami, and Rahm Emanuel of Chicago are singled out as excellent examples of leaders who push to get things done. These cities and others “are increasingly viewed as sources of innovation and quality of life” (Chapter 5 – locator 2812). But, in order for cities to thrive, improved public transit is a must. “Opportunity for access to the tools of upward social mobility – jobs, a good education, health care, affordable groceries – is activated by geographic mobility” (Chapter 5 – Locator 2912). And public transit needs to not only include subways but rapid transit buses, Divvy bicycles, and safe/pleasant pedestrian walkways.

America has two great resources that no other country can match – the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation and the leading system of higher education in the world. These systems, and the infrastructure repair, replacement, and renewal they can fuel deserve the support of the government. A particularly poignant quote related to my intellectual interests was, “Whatever else leaders do, they are educators. They must educate themselves and then educate their constituencies. And teaching leadership should be part of every field and every profession” (Preface - locator 126). I couldn’t agree more! And, U.S. citizens have a right and responsibility to require politicians to respond in a non-partisan way to America’s needs. Moss Kanter closes her last chapter with a list of required conditions in order for the U.S. to move forward and she indicated – it’s not about money but will.