Home > Articles

This chapter is from the book

Section 5: Putting It into Practice: Stories from the Field

This section of the book offers some intriguing true stories about interdisciplinarity and disruptive innovation, from branding to designing products and services for women, to technology adoption in healthcare, to launching disruptive innovation business models from within established companies.

Examples from Philadelphia University

As a lifelong entrepreneur and entrepreneurial educator, I have seen my share of real-world projects, largely rooted in business. My role as president at Philadelphia University affords me a view across a broader set of disciplines, notably those working in interdisciplinary projects, that yields an interesting set of examples of the power of collaboration and disruptive innovation even at the student level.

Following are three recent examples of industry “problems” that were solved by transdisciplinary teams of students. Fortune 500 firms presented the assignments to students in the broadest form, and teams were given great latitude in their responses.

  • DuPont: “Define beauty.”
  • Armstrong: “Think vertically.”
  • Federal Mogul: “Make a mother’s life better.”

Define Beauty

DuPont dominated the kitchen countertop market for many years with their Corian product. As markets and tastes changed, instead of yielding to competitors they began to innovate, embracing design thinking and the educational system. In a one-week “Sprint” competition students conceived of and prototyped a dozen new uses of Corian. Through discussions with customers and DuPont executives, the teams believed they needed to connect to customers through an aesthetic lens before considering the practical. The teams consistently heard customers talk first about beauty before any other issue such as utility and cost. The teams constantly probed for the connection of beauty in the new products students were designing. The discourse continued with each product feature and characteristic. There were dozens of iterations during the week yet the pace didn’t seem frenzied. During the final presentation of the concept prototypes to a team of DuPont management, Philadelphia University faculty, and potential customers, the judging panelists asked as many questions about the process as they did about the final output. Several innovations went on to the next steps in commercialization.

Think Vertically

Armstrong World Industries, Inc.,4 is a global leader in the design and manufacture of floors and ceilings. In 2012, Armstrong’s consolidated net sales totaled approximately $2.6 billion. Based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Armstrong operates 32 plants in eight countries and has approximately 8,500 employees worldwide. Armstrong ceiling tiles are a ubiquitous presence in architecture, construction, and the built environment.

In this project students had six weeks to investigate spaces and people that could benefit from a vertical spacing interface. They had to conceive of an improvement of a space using a “vertical perspective,” create drawings, make a prototype, and estimate the potential market. Armstrong has been in the tile business in one fashion or another for more than 150 years. Virtually everyone in the U.S. has experienced the horizontal Armstrong ceiling. The mental model of an Armstrong tile is a drop ceiling. Breakthrough thinking could occur only if the old perceptions were abandoned.

Transdisciplinary student teams argued intensely about the potential for vertically improving space. Each argument seemed to break down another preconception. When the silos are removed, a new palate is formed. We found that when team members transcend their own disciplinary understandings, the team achieves breakthrough innovation. We found that statements or questions that imposed definitive strictures blocked creative solutions. “It must” as a beginning of a sentence typically meant the team member was imposing his or her disciplinary perspective on the solution. It is the death knell of new ideas.

In the Armstrong example our methodology of team interviews in a broad ethnographic perspective triggered innovation that transcended individual disciplines.

Make a Mother’s Life Better

Our third example required the students to “make a mother’s life better.” This was the most interesting challenge because of the historical perspective of the company presenting the project and the experience of the teams accepting it.

Federal-Mogul Corporation is an innovative and diversified $6.7 billion global supplier of quality products, brands, and creative solutions to manufacturers of automotive, light commercial, heavy-duty, and off-highway vehicles, as well as in power generation, aerospace, marine, rail, and industrial. That’s right. They are a supplier to industry. Their brief was a message to us—and to themselves—that innovation was a cultural requirement that stretched their organization beyond their traditional markets and focused on the needs of customers. The leadership of the company was impressing on both students and management that Federal-Mogul’s culture of innovation has to be constantly renewed. None of our students was a parent. The issues presented by motherhood are so vast and complex that I thought, “They’ll never get this one right.”

I was wrong.

The students met with young and old mothers, single and married mothers, poor mothers and rich mothers. They went to cities and suburbs, racially diverse neighborhoods, and ethnically rigid communities. A disciplined approach to “talking with customers” is integral to the design process and becomes a distinct competitive advantage in creating valuable innovation. The students proudly delivered their answer. The clear and unequivocal problem was...a lack of sleep.

Federal-Mogul has deep expertise in materials science and an intimate understanding of lightweight materials. The team conceived of a wall that was thin and lightweight but virtually soundproof. Noise external to the baby’s room would be greatly muffled. Because the wall was thin and lightweight, a fiber-optic wire was easily threaded through the wall for a video and audio monitor inside the baby’s room. The baby would sleep better and the mother would sleep better. The solution is patent pending.

How were teams of undergraduate students able to define the opportunities, map solutions, and recommend a pathway to success?

InformIT Promotional Mailings & Special Offers

I would like to receive exclusive offers and hear about products from InformIT and its family of brands. I can unsubscribe at any time.

Overview


Pearson Education, Inc., 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (Pearson) presents this site to provide information about products and services that can be purchased through this site.

This privacy notice provides an overview of our commitment to privacy and describes how we collect, protect, use and share personal information collected through this site. Please note that other Pearson websites and online products and services have their own separate privacy policies.

Collection and Use of Information


To conduct business and deliver products and services, Pearson collects and uses personal information in several ways in connection with this site, including:

Questions and Inquiries

For inquiries and questions, we collect the inquiry or question, together with name, contact details (email address, phone number and mailing address) and any other additional information voluntarily submitted to us through a Contact Us form or an email. We use this information to address the inquiry and respond to the question.

Online Store

For orders and purchases placed through our online store on this site, we collect order details, name, institution name and address (if applicable), email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, credit/debit card information, shipping options and any instructions. We use this information to complete transactions, fulfill orders, communicate with individuals placing orders or visiting the online store, and for related purposes.

Surveys

Pearson may offer opportunities to provide feedback or participate in surveys, including surveys evaluating Pearson products, services or sites. Participation is voluntary. Pearson collects information requested in the survey questions and uses the information to evaluate, support, maintain and improve products, services or sites, develop new products and services, conduct educational research and for other purposes specified in the survey.

Contests and Drawings

Occasionally, we may sponsor a contest or drawing. Participation is optional. Pearson collects name, contact information and other information specified on the entry form for the contest or drawing to conduct the contest or drawing. Pearson may collect additional personal information from the winners of a contest or drawing in order to award the prize and for tax reporting purposes, as required by law.

Newsletters

If you have elected to receive email newsletters or promotional mailings and special offers but want to unsubscribe, simply email information@informit.com.

Service Announcements

On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account information. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service

We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regard to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone in accordance with the users' wishes when a user submits their information through our Contact Us form.

Other Collection and Use of Information


Application and System Logs

Pearson automatically collects log data to help ensure the delivery, availability and security of this site. Log data may include technical information about how a user or visitor connected to this site, such as browser type, type of computer/device, operating system, internet service provider and IP address. We use this information for support purposes and to monitor the health of the site, identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents and appropriately scale computing resources.

Web Analytics

Pearson may use third party web trend analytical services, including Google Analytics, to collect visitor information, such as IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, pages visited and time spent on a particular site. While these analytical services collect and report information on an anonymous basis, they may use cookies to gather web trend information. The information gathered may enable Pearson (but not the third party web trend services) to link information with application and system log data. Pearson uses this information for system administration and to identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents, appropriately scale computing resources and otherwise support and deliver this site and its services.

Cookies and Related Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize content, measure traffic patterns, control security, track use and access of information on this site, and provide interest-based messages and advertising. Users can manage and block the use of cookies through their browser. Disabling or blocking certain cookies may limit the functionality of this site.

Do Not Track

This site currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

Security


Pearson uses appropriate physical, administrative and technical security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

Children


This site is not directed to children under the age of 13.

Marketing


Pearson may send or direct marketing communications to users, provided that

  • Pearson will not use personal information collected or processed as a K-12 school service provider for the purpose of directed or targeted advertising.
  • Such marketing is consistent with applicable law and Pearson's legal obligations.
  • Pearson will not knowingly direct or send marketing communications to an individual who has expressed a preference not to receive marketing.
  • Where required by applicable law, express or implied consent to marketing exists and has not been withdrawn.

Pearson may provide personal information to a third party service provider on a restricted basis to provide marketing solely on behalf of Pearson or an affiliate or customer for whom Pearson is a service provider. Marketing preferences may be changed at any time.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information


If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your postal address or email address), we provide a way to correct or update that user's personal data provided to us. This can be done on the Account page. If a user no longer desires our service and desires to delete his or her account, please contact us at customer-service@informit.com and we will process the deletion of a user's account.

Choice/Opt-out


Users can always make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with certain services offered by InformIT. If you choose to remove yourself from our mailing list(s) simply visit the following page and uncheck any communication you no longer want to receive: www.informit.com/u.aspx.

Sale of Personal Information


Pearson does not rent or sell personal information in exchange for any payment of money.

While Pearson does not sell personal information, as defined in Nevada law, Nevada residents may email a request for no sale of their personal information to NevadaDesignatedRequest@pearson.com.

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents


California residents should read our Supplemental privacy statement for California residents in conjunction with this Privacy Notice. The Supplemental privacy statement for California residents explains Pearson's commitment to comply with California law and applies to personal information of California residents collected in connection with this site and the Services.

Sharing and Disclosure


Pearson may disclose personal information, as follows:

  • As required by law.
  • With the consent of the individual (or their parent, if the individual is a minor)
  • In response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted or required by law
  • To protect the security and safety of individuals, data, assets and systems, consistent with applicable law
  • In connection the sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of its company or assets, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Notice
  • To investigate or address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities
  • To exercise its legal rights, including enforcement of the Terms of Use for this site or another contract
  • To affiliated Pearson companies and other companies and organizations who perform work for Pearson and are obligated to protect the privacy of personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice
  • To a school, organization, company or government agency, where Pearson collects or processes the personal information in a school setting or on behalf of such organization, company or government agency.

Links


This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects Personal Information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Requests and Contact


Please contact us about this Privacy Notice or if you have any requests or questions relating to the privacy of your personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Notice


We may revise this Privacy Notice through an updated posting. We will identify the effective date of the revision in the posting. Often, updates are made to provide greater clarity or to comply with changes in regulatory requirements. If the updates involve material changes to the collection, protection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, Pearson will provide notice of the change through a conspicuous notice on this site or other appropriate way. Continued use of the site after the effective date of a posted revision evidences acceptance. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Privacy Notice or any objection to any revisions.

Last Update: November 17, 2020