Radical innovation: crossing knowledge boundaries with ...

e seen as invalid because of the fact that it is not expressible within the value system
of one or more of the contributing disciplines. At the outset of an enterprise, it is
necessary to ‘frame the transaction’ by which those on the boundaries of the
enterprise are recruited as stakeholders, and this involves constructing a value
proposition that might not be equally clear to those on the inside.
5.1.1 Interdisciplinarity and innovation as fashion trends
The words ‘interdisciplinarity’ and ‘innovation’ may themselves be included in the
name of a new enterprise, perhaps with one of them standing for or implying the
other. Indeed, the research that led to this report was successfully funded on the basis
of a proposal that included both words in its title. The symptoms of fashionable
interest include university vice chancellors who personally sponsor interdisciplinary
show events, as well as the apparent ‘moral imperative’ of interdisciplinarity among
policy makers at present. Nevertheless, although our key words are associated with a
degree of current fashionable interest, we need to be clear about the extent to which
the underlying phenomenon is one that will always be a key aspect of knowledge
production and application. Wherever some forms of knowledge are socially
structured, and there is benefit to society through more radical outcomes from
creativity and more effective outcomes from innovation, then interdisciplinary teams
of some kind will remain a favoured path. We therefore believe that this strategy will
remain a feature of organisational life, however it is labeled.
The set of strategies we describe in this report will almost certainly be labeled
differently in future, because of the need that an innovative enterprise must be
identified through new combinations of words. Indeed, we saw evidence that those
whose business relies on being ahead of fashion trends have already moved on from
the words ‘interdisciplinarity’ and ‘innovation’. At TTP 26 , although they agreed that
the theme of our project is at the core of their business, they said that they would no
longer use those words, because too many lesser competitors employ them, which has
cheapened the brand. (A common experience of fashion leaders, who cannot be seen
as following trends, even where they established those trends). Although TTP no
longer use these words in their branding, they agreed with us that they continue to
seek both core attributes: interdisciplinarity to provide them with multiple
perspectives on the problems they solve, and innovation to deliver value to their
clients from new ideas and new technology. In academic usage, the current vogue for
‘transdisciplinarity’ in project names does not generally represent any difference in
the actual objectives or conduct of the proposed research (despite the fact that the
term was formulated with very specific theoretical objectives), but rather an
imperative to remain in vogue, rather than risk the possibility that interdisciplinarity
may have become an old-hat.
26 Expert witness report
Innovation and Interdisciplinarity 43