IBM’s “Fellow” program is the classic. The IBM Fellows are a manifestation of Watson, Sr.’s, desire to foster “wild ducks” (Watson got the metaphor from Ibsen). There are about forty-five of them, heralded as “dreamers, heretics, gadflies, mavericks, and geniuses” in a recent Newsweek ad. “There are less of us than there are corporate vice presidents,” said one. A Fellow is given virtually a free rein for five years. His role is quite simple: to shake up the system. Indeed they do. One of
