Photo credit: Ricardo Liberato
We need right-brain creativity paired with left-brain analysis if we are to innovate in turbulent times. This is the conclusion reached in a recent Harvard Business Review article where companies that are structured to support left-brain/right-brain partnerships sustain creative breakthroughs year in and year out.
The idea of bringing together opposites, or at least merging disparate disciplines in order to realize innovation, has my juices flowing. Take for example, the emerging field of biomimicry. Biomimicry is a discipline that studies nature’s best ideas and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems. This is design thinking at its best, where “thinking outside of the box” yields real business breakthroughs. In her TED Talk, Janine Benyus has a message for inventors: When solving a design problem, look to nature first.
Along with biomimicry, I’ve recently become quite enamored with the steampunk movement. Steampunk can best be described as Victorian style combined with fictional technology, and while it is true that this fantasy genre is more fiction than science, steampunk is an interesting concept where the lines between art (right-brain) and engineering (left-brain) have blurred in order to realize a better future through technology.
I’m sure there are better examples of multi-disciplinary design and partnerships between creatives and analysts. But the examples of biomimicry and steampunk design really resonate with me. I’ll continue to look for seemingly unrelated disciplines that have merged to drive innovation.
Does your organization have creative individuals paired-up with analytical types? Is design thinking the new buzz word du jour, or are designers now tackling intangible strategic issues to help drive innovation? Love to hear your thoughts.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Good thoughts Merlyn!
To add some more thoughts: apart from left-right brains you need T-shaped and I-shaped people as well and in my last musings on Posterous (http://wimrampen.posterous.com/what-kind-of-thinker-are-you-11) I discuss how we need the best of both System Thinking and Design Thinking..
The future of your business lies in how well you can collaborate (or better: its superlative “co-create”) with Customers, employees and partners. Just left-right brains or T-shaped might not fix it..
Maybe we need to develop towards X-(shaped)-man..
Wim Rampen
Independent Thinker – with a passion for Customers -
Wim, I agree, collaboration is the way to go, and that a nuanced view of “independent thinking” is required. In fact, I really like Mitch Lieberman’s (@mjayliebs) term on your Posterous, “Social System Design” thinking.
The real challenge, as I see it, is pairing analytic types in traditional leadership roles, with design thinkers who may be best equipped to speak of the value of co-creation as the future of business.
Feels like we are in a period of definitions and categorization as ideas and concepts become increasingly difficult to place in neat, tidy buckets.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Hi Merlyn,
I absolutely LOVE being a part of multi-disciplinary groups and have been so for product development, R&D, IT and Marketing teams at a few companies that have embraced the idea. Admittedly, it can prove counter-productive under certain scenarios as there are rather unique facilitation aspects. Overall, though, we’ve usually left our efforts MUCH better off on a number of fronts: new ideas but also an increased bond with people and teams we rarely would get to work with. Really goes towards breaking those silos down a little.
Multi-disciplinary can also be, well, “multi-perspective” or “viewpoint” — across the org chart, with customers, with vendors, even within the same org but up/down the ladder. Some looking at short-term, some long, some tactical, some strategic, some looking at $$, others the customer experience, everybody bringing in their past experiences to bear, and so on. Again, even when it becomes unwieldy — and it can be at times — it’s a real eye-opener.
I’ve been in classrooms where instructors deliberately built groups with the intent to bring together diverse cultural, social and professional backgrounds.
Within my own personal circle of friends there is a variety of career paths and specialties: healthcare, IT, sales, government, social work, etc. We deliberately get together at least monthly soley to discuss product ideas and, in general, better ways to do something.
As Wim discusses, the areas of crowdsourcing and co-creation can be rich examples of this, especially if multi-disciplinary approach is built-in. Though the openness and sheer number of participants often gurantees at least some degree of this, anyway.
The word “synthesis” always comes to mind. One of my favorite words!
The other day I watched a documentary on “BigFoot”(it was a lazy Sunday) and they’d brought together members from all sorts of disciplines to examine the “evidence”. Though I remain unafraid of running into such a creature during my next trek into the Olympic National Park, I found the different perspectives fascinating — even on a topic like that!
On the topic of Twitter Lists: how about multi-disciplinary lists. Delibrately crafted/selected to bring together varied backgrounds and interests. Even if you built such a list yourself and listened passively you’d surely benefit.
A few resources that might be of interest:
http://www.regalix.com/index.php/leading-multidisciplinary-innovation (On-demand Webinar)
http://www.slideshare.net/Regalix/leading-multidisciplinary-innovation-innovation-for-organizational-success
Google Dr. Min Basadur (Author of “The Power of Innovation” and others)
Great topic, Merlyn! and kudos to Wim for the spark. You both have renewed my passion for this “stuff” ; )
Thanks!
Russ
Seattle, WA
http://www.twitter.com/russhatfield
Hi Russ,thank you for the great response and links to resources.
I agree, “multi-perspective” collaboration can be disastrous without excellent facilitation, but with the right structure in place, exciting conversations are possible. I like the idea of your monthly “roundtable” with friends across the professional spectrum. These roundtables make sense for the business as well, where a “topic of the month” can be batted around by a diverse group (across org, left/right brain, etc.)
Hope you bump into the Yeti while exploring the Peninsula!
~Merlyn