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I ran across two articles that speak to the importance of boundary crossing, the second just published today by The New York Times: Diversity of Thought:The Next Frontier Innovative Minds Don’t Think Alike Both articles emphasize how breakthroughs depend on resisting the temptation to surround ourselves with people who are like us. Homogeneity is the…

Students from Northwestern University’s law school, medical school, management school and engineering school, are part of a boundary-crossing entrepreneurship program. Placed into teams of four, one from each school, these students shadow hand-picked physicians in hospitals.  The intended outcome of these groups: To develop ideas for new medical devices To identify process improvements that will…

Mark Parker is the CEO of Nike. Last week, he was profiled in the Wall Street Journal as someone who turns to many worlds for inspiration, including interior design, cuisine, art and music. According to the article, he’s as comfortable hanging out with a DJ or an art gallery owner as he is with business…

Tamara Adlin, a user experience consultant (we called these people "human factors geeks" in the 90’s), has a great interview with Seth Godin. If you are already familiar with Seth and his books (e.g., The Dip, The Big Moo, All Marketers are Liars, Purple Cow, Permission Marketing), you’ll get a kick out of learning some…

Sometimes, individuals know that they have interests in disparate areas but aren’t sure what to do about it. Is it an asset or a liability?  I prefer to think of it as an asset. Here’s how to make boundary crossing work for you: Create a "slash" life that includes more than one area. Look to…