Many believe that U.S. society, which has always placed a premium on breakthroughs by individual achievement, must redefine its notion of success to include incremental advancements, often produced by committee in relative anonymity.

Reforms, not rhetoric, needed to keep jobs on U.S. soil; By Ed Frauenheim and Mike Yamamoto

I think this article has it wrong. The breakthroughs in science, computer science, etc.. are still made by individuals. We just never learn about the individuals. We have simply separated reward from effort. Rewards go to "innovators" not "inventers." The rewards and acclaim for a new discovery will go to the CEO or Venture Capital firm. The only rewards for wage employees is an insincere memo about how the company considers its employees its most important asset.

Perhaps our problem is that we have spent so much effort defending capitalism against communism that we have inadvertantly lost the value that the United States used to place on all people...not just the owners of capital. The current structure does not lend itself to allowing anyone beyond the board room the ability to really achieve their potential.