Two of Cowles Library’s finest are presenting at the ILA/ACRL Conference on 10 May 2013. Abstract follows:
Disruptive Thinking About Disruptive Innovation.
Dr. Susan Fink and Marc Davis, Drake University
In The Search for Survival: Lessons from Disruptive Technologies, Henry C. Lucas wrote
that correctly answering the question “what business are we in” is a first, essential step for
an organization in identifying and dealing with disruptive innovation that can undermine
their entire business model. Provocative “disruptive thinking” techniques (such as
challenging assumptions, killer questions and uncomfortable truths) will be used to
challenge the audience as they formulate and discuss “disruptive hypotheses” to answer the
question of “what business are we (academic libraries) in?” The goal of disruptive thinking
is to break up patterns of thought, shift perspectives and catalyze new ways of thinking.
We will explore how our hypotheses can impact our strategic planning, ongoing service and
assessment models, and the different implications each has for the future
