promoting creative interdisciplinarity in a disciplinary world: part 2, human networks are crucial

Promoting Creative Promoting Creative Interdisciplinarity in a Interdisciplinarity in a Disciplinary World: Disciplinary World: Part 2: Human Networks are CrucialPart 2: Human Networks are CrucialDavid E. GoldbergIllinois Foundry for Innovation in Engineering EducationUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUrbana, IL 61801

deg@illinois.edu; www.Ifoundry.illinois.edu

Dueling Dueling Departments/DisciplinesDepartments/Disciplines Missed revolutions &

power of departments/disciplines.

University of Illinois as Italian renaissance experience.

Warring factions in Venice, Rome & Florence.

Fighting for treasure, loyalty, allegiance.

Machiavelli would have been at home.

Return to treasure at end.

Niccolò Machiavelli (1469 – 1527)

Promoting Creative Promoting Creative InterdisciplinarityInterdisciplinarityDifficult to overcome tyranny of

departments/disciplines.Human networks, not electronic

networks, as primary:◦Understand disciplines as religion.◦Linguistic naiveté and how to

overcome.◦Pairwork grows networks.◦Networks need mesolevel

institutional support.

Discipline as ReligionDiscipline as Religion Many disciplines privilege

their perspectives and methods.

Science wars as example. But smart people in

organized discipline probably doing something right.

First step: toleration of disciplinary difference.

Actively seeking interpretations that make sense.

Easy to say, but hard to do. Start with language. Toward discipline of

interdisciplinarity.

Overcoming Linguistic Overcoming Linguistic NaivetéNaivetéTolerance first step, but language

is still a barrier.Linguistic naiveté: (LN): belief that

words have single, fixed meaning.Disciplines become disciplines by

defining words in specific ways; encourage LN.

Must understand ways same word can be used in different disciplines.

From Pairwork to NetworkFrom Pairwork to Network Went from solo to teamwork in

the quality revolution. Skipped pairwork.

Georges Harik, early Google employee: pairs 20x more productive than singletons.

Get ◦ Large opportunity for

complementary skills.◦ Low coordination costs.◦ Maximal opportunity for

marginal creativity.◦ Effective emotional leveling.

Great pairwork yields great networks.

Wilbur Wright Orville Wright

Networks Need Mesolevel Networks Need Mesolevel SupportSupportDepartmental faculty have access

to◦Identity◦Space◦Communications◦Clerical support◦Funds

Mesolevel interdisciplinary entities need to provide some of these.

Don’t need new “dots” so much as we need dot connectors.

Example: Evolution of Example: Evolution of ETSIETSIETSI = Engineering & Technology

Studies at Illinois. http://www-illigal.ge.uiuc.edu/ETSI

Started as lecture series & website in 2006 following blog post.

Grew to grassroots network of faculty both sides of Green.

Continues to interact & fundamental to educational & research initiatives.

Need new institutional forms for minimal support of interdisciplinary initiatives.

Next part: From human to electronic networks.

Promoting Creative Promoting Creative Interdisciplinarity in a Interdisciplinarity in a Disciplinary World: Disciplinary World: Part 2: Human Networks as CrucialPart 2: Human Networks as CrucialDavid E. GoldbergIllinois Foundry for Innovation in Engineering EducationUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUrbana, IL 61801

deg@illinois.edu; www.Ifoundry.illinois.edu