Cross-Discipline Approaches
Why crossing department and discipline boundaries is important
“One thing that stands out from our interactions is your strong tendency to connect ideas across seemingly unrelated domains, whether it’s drawing parallels between sports strategies and business development, or blending technical insights with organizational theory.”
The above was ChatGPT’s response to my prompt, “From all of our interactions, what is one thing that you think you know about me that I might not know myself.” Maybe ChatGPT is feeding my ego but I think the response was incredibly insightful. I do love taking an idea or example from one domain and applying it to another. To me, this cross-discipline approach to problem solving is incredibly powerful. Whether that is using James Dyson’s story of developing his eponymous vacuum that involved 5,127 prototypes to show the importance of iterative design or using “The Pep Effect” to explain the importance of empowered teams, these provide ways for us to understand things through stories and analogies.
Besides being interesting anecdotes that help people remember the lessons, cross-discipline approaches to problems are effective. Let’s step back for a second and talk about why we even have “disciplines” within academia and business. The word “discipline” traces back to the Latin “disciplus,” or “disciple,” originally referring to training students in “proper conduct and action” through instruction and practice. In academics, “discipline” implies not just a subject matter but a system of rules that defines and structures it. Those who don’t conform risk correction or exclusion, whether through failed degrees or unpublished work. This system is both productive and limiting, fostering cumulative knowledge but sometimes rigidly enforcing established practices. When particular methods are venerated and others dismissed simply for deviating from convention, academic and business disciplines can resemble sects, defined as much by reverence for tradition as by innovation.
Problems that we face, whether in business or society, are rarely isolated within one discipline. They are often sprawling, nuanced, and interdependent, often demanding a blend of insights from multiple areas to truly understand and solve them. Cross-disciplinary thinking is not only helpful but crucial as it brings a dynamism that enables us to see the big picture, break through roadblocks, and approach challenges with fresh angles. The benefits of cross-discipline approaches have been studied and reported on in fields as diverse as vascular neurology and financial accounting. In practice, the results have been demonstrated innumerable times.
Take Justin Barad, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon and avid gamer. He drew on principles from gaming to create Osso VR, a virtual reality platform that allows doctors to practice surgeries in a realistic environment. Barad’s background in gaming, coupled with his medical expertise, enabled him to create a more immersive, effective learning experience for aspiring surgeons. In an industry where hands-on practice is limited and costly, Barad’s cross-disciplinary approach has been a game-changer, pun intended. This is just one example of how the mixing of fields can revolutionize practice, opening up creative and highly functional solutions that might otherwise remain out of reach.
Feynman’s Equations and Sketches (1985)
Richard Feynman, American theoretical physicist known for his work in quantum mechanics, exemplified this cross-discipline approach. He is known for exploring art, philosophy, and even humor to inspire his work. Feynman began his drawing journey in 1962 at the age of 44. His interest in art was sparked by friendly debates on the value of art versus science with his friend, artist Jirayr “Jerry” Zorthian. In a playful compromise, they agreed to swap lessons in art and science every other Sunday. From then on, Feynman drew extensively, capturing everything from portraits to nudes. His wide-ranging interests fueled his creative insights as a scientist.
Feynman's interest in art influenced the way he thought about representing physical processes visually. He believed in simplifying complex ideas into understandable, almost visual forms, a mindset cultivated by his artistic pursuits. One famous example of how his experiences in art impacted his work in physics is in his development of Feynman diagrams, where he used this visual approach to depict particles as lines and their interactions as vertices on a graph. This breakthrough in visual representation allowed physicists to calculate particle behaviors more easily, making previously incomprehensible calculations accessible. Feynman’s diagrams helped bridge theory and intuition, offering a way to “see” the underlying processes of quantum mechanics in action, much as a piece of art captures a complex idea in a single, evocative image.
While some people draw inspiration for problems from their own passions or hobbies, like Barad with video games and Feynman with art, this doesn’t have to be the case. Take Dr. Atul Gawande, for example. Gawande was an endocrine surgeon who wanted to improve patient safety in his field of surgery, where lives hinge on precision and timing. He began researching fields outside of surgery for inspiration. Despite not being a pilot himself, he soon realized that in aviation, pilots use checklists to eliminate human error. It struck Gawande that surgery could be approached the same way.
Gawande was well aware that even experienced surgeons and teams can miss critical steps when under pressure. So he partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO) to design a simple but powerful tool: the Surgical Safety Checklist. It wasn’t fancy. It didn’t require new tech or expensive tools. It was a short, easy-to-follow checklist to confirm basic but crucial steps before, during, and after surgery, steps like verifying the patient’s identity, marking the surgical site, and confirming key actions. He eventually published the book The Checklist Manifesto in which focuses on the use of checklists in several aspects of daily and professional life for greater efficiency, consistency and safety.
What’s fascinating about these examples is how they challenge conventional notions of specialization. While deep knowledge in a field is undoubtedly valuable, studies show that this kind of “tunnel vision” can also limit our problem-solving abilities. Cognitive scientist Scott Page, in his book The Difference, explains that diverse perspectives and heuristics, rather than individual intelligence, are the key drivers of innovation. Page states, “innovation may depend less on lone thinkers with enormous IQs than on diverse people working together and capitalizing on their individuality.” He argues that we gain more by working across boundaries than by limiting ourselves to our specialized fields, especially when solving complex problems. “Studies of creativity and innovation conclude that cognitive variation is a key explanatory variable,” Page explains, why some of the most resilient, adaptable teams are those that include members from varied backgrounds. Each person brings a unique lens that expands the team’s collective intelligence.
Cross-disciplinary thinking cultivates adaptability, a critical asset as businesses face increasing complexity and need resilience to navigate shifting markets, evolving customer expectations, and new technologies. Teams that draw from diverse fields, like engineering infused with behavioral science, approach problems from multiple angles, understanding not only mechanics but how people will use and experience a product. This adaptability is a competitive edge, allowing businesses to respond nimbly to change. Cross-disciplinary thinking also taps into a foundational curiosity, freeing us from the limits of our own expertise and enabling us to see possibilities beyond traditional boundaries.
Organizations can foster this mindset by hiring people with varied skills, encouraging exploration, and framing challenges to invite diverse perspectives. Cross-disciplinary thinking breaks us out of rigid patterns and draws unexpected connections, transforming how we see problems and uncovering solutions that are greater than the sum of their parts. It’s not just an interesting way to teach lessons but a real problem-solving method that drives innovation.