Services Science, Engineering and Management Conference, at IBM Palisades, October 6-7

These participant's notes were created in real-time during the meeting, based on the speaker's presentation(s) and comments from the audience. These should not be viewed as official transcripts of the meeting, but only as an interpretation by a single individual. Lapses, grammatical errors, and typing mistakes may not have been corrected. Questions about content should be directed to the originator. These notes have been contributed by David Ing (daviding@systemicbusiness.org) at the Systemic Business Community ( http://systemicbusiness.org ).

Michael E. Gorman, University of Virginia, "Trading Zones, Interactional Expertise and Service Science"

A psychologist in an engineering school

Kuhn: Problem of incommensurability:

• experts in an old paradigm can't communicate with those in a new
• What's a problem; what's a problem worth solving; what's valid date

Galison: Scientists and engineers still work together

• They working in a trading zone

Three levels of shared expertise in a multidisciplinary trading zone (adapted Collins and Evans)

• None: speak different languages
• Interactional: expert in one, mastered enough in other language to facilitate trades
• Contribution: can go from one domain to another

Crude taxonomy of trading zones (with Matt Mehalik)

State 1: a technological, ideological or political elite

• e.g. centralized agricultural planning, good for control, bad for producing food

State 2: relatively equal trading zones

• Actors often trade without boundary objects or across systems
• Don't need to be aligned, just aligned enough to trade

State 3: shared mental model, similar goals

• Dynamic representations
• Towards a cohesive team
• e.g. developing an Arpanet
• May not be able to stay in this zone very long

Services science needs development of a creole

• Need new expertise
• Need agreement on language
• Leads to trading zones that understand revenue

SSME as UVA: could play a part in Engineering Business minor, could see transforming this

• UVA bought a "semester at sea" program, takes students around the world (not just a cruise)

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