Islands in the (learning) stream: why multidisciplinary teams are more than just the sum of their parts

For the past five years, several members of staff within the Business, Law and Medical Schools at Aston University have worked together to deliver material to their very different cohorts. This chapter explains the benefits of this interdisciplinary working and importantly how the blend of the academic, professional and practical can produce benefits that readily translate into the world of business, particularly in relation to the development of knowledge, skills and emotional intelligence. The first part of the chapter will focus on how interdisciplinary teaching teams can be created and fostered, alongside some of the common risks, including circumventing tribalism. The second part of the chapter will show how this learning can be applied in practice. It will also show how interdisciplinary education exposes students to authentic assessments, and how these mutually shared experiences, cooperation and collaboration really do produce far more than the sum of their parts.