To truly innovate, the US imaging community may need to look beyond its own backyard for inspiration.
By Marianne Matthews
Observe a chef or a jazz musician or a teacher at work. Watch closely and long enough, and you will soon appreciate their ability to work with their mistakes. One wrong ingredient could spoil the entire dish—or it could serve as inspiration for a detour and an entirely new and delectable entrée. With professionals such as these, the art of turning an error into an asset is something I’ve witnessed and admired time and again.
To me, few learning experiences are more stimulating than learning from foreign sources and applying those lessons in your own unique corner of the world. Seeing a problem addressed in a different milieu frames it in a fresh light. When we borrow processes or solutions from another field, we can surprise ourselves and stumble on something truly innovative.
In my case, I happen to have a foot in two worlds—theatre and journalism—and I try to apply what I learn in one to the other. One of my worlds is ruled by imagination; the other, by facts. They sound like they are, indeed, worlds apart. But interestingly, my two worlds are more related than you might think. As both an actor and a journalist, my job is to get at the truth.
As an actor, a critical part of the craft is training yourself to be a really good listener. That listening skill has proven to be invaluable in my career as a journalist as well.
And while actors are trained to be extremely open, a good journalist must be highly skeptical. A reporter can’t just accept everything he or she hears as gospel. I’ve learned to apply that same skepticism in the theatre. By questioning what the playwright is really trying to say—and what the characters truly want—I am digging deep like a journalist, looking beyond the surface to the subtext, and in the end, I believe, better serving the play.
Borrowed wisdom. It can drive innovation. In so many walks of life—from technology to manufacturing to communications—thought leaders borrowed the successful techniques or processes used in an unrelated industry to advance their own specific fields.
Unfortunately, borrowed wisdom has been underrated in American healthcare.
That’s why we’ve created an upcoming dedicated print issue (July/Aug) called “Wisdom from Other Worlds.”
For the first time in history, radiologists must operate in a genuinely competitive world. Yet, healthcare and radiology are behind the times in terms of both sophisticated business practices and technology adoption and implementation.
Our goal with the print issue—and with ongoing content you’ll find here online in our “Wisdom from Other Worlds” portal—is to offer the imaging community fresh, out of-the-box perspectives. It’s time for imaging professionals to look beyond healthcare and tap the knowledge and experience of corporate executives, business leaders, entrepreneurs, consultants, and other experts from a variety of diverse fields. It’s time to find out how other countries, too, are addressing challenges like access to imaging exams, improving quality, and managing radiation dose.
It’s no longer enough to look to the same old sources. Solutions to our most pressing challenges may come from foreign worlds. Get out of your own way; open your mind to the unknown, and you just may discover some new and amazing answers. That’s the beauty of borrowed wisdom.
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