The Medici Effect is, besides the title of a book, a description of a method of problem solving and innovation. The idea is not new, in fact the term comes from the Medici families and the Renaissance.

Simply put, the Medici Effect is what occurs when different disciplines intersect. People tend to approach problem solving by applying what they already know and what has worked in the past. This is good, but is less likely to create a new paradigm, or to fit the solution to anything broader than the scope of the person’s knowledge and experience.

However, when the same problem is addressed by someone with a different background and a different knowledge foundation, the potential increases for finding a solution that better fits the big picture. Purposefully mixing staff with a variety of approaches and backgrounds can help to encourage this effect, and in the long run can make any organization more efficient and innovative.

In my opinion, this is also a great argument for cross-training. The better someone knows your job, the better they can do theirs, and vice-versa. Very few of us do everything for our library (though it is wise to remember that some library staff in small libraries do this) and understanding how other areas do their work can only help us when we approach our own work.

found via The Medium is the Message

By the way, this is my first application of the OpenBook plugin, which imports book covers and basic information from the OpenLibrary project. I hope you like it!

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