Cross-pollination is big these days. Whether you’re a retailer or a research lab, the gospel is that if you mix things up you’ll get a creative ferment. The Santa Fe Institute brings together physicists, biologists, businesspeople, and social scientists on a beautiful hilltop in New Mexico to meld ideas. Harvard will soon break ground on an innovation-stimulating, cross-disciplinary campus for its science, engineering, medical, and business schools. And of course there’s IDEO, the famously interdisciplinary Silicon Valley firm that designed the Palm Pilot, fat toothbrushes, and a better mouse.
Perfecting Cross-Pollination
How you craft cross-functional teams depends on your appetite for risk—and your hunger for a breakthrough.
Summary.
Reprint: F0409C
There’s a way to build cross-functional innovation teams that can balance your appetite for risk with your hunger for a breakthrough. Do it wrong, and you may find yourself with a highly creative team producing a string of bad ideas.
A version of this article appeared in the September 2004 issue of Harvard Business Review.
New!
HBR Learning
Innovation and Creativity Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Innovation and Creativity. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Unlock your team's curiosity and willingness to take smart risks.
Learn More & See All Courses
New!
HBR Learning
Innovation and Creativity Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Innovation and Creativity. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Unlock your team's curiosity and willingness to take smart risks.