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host families. As a result, my stu- dents experienced a huge change in attitude as the field study pro- gressed. Their initial reaction was to point out the impact of the slow- er pace of daily work life in the culture, and the society's emphasis on family and social activities. On paper, such an emphasis might seem a hindrance to an economy. But after spending more time in the culture, my students gained a pro- found respect for the tremendous work ethic and rising business sophistication of the people. They could step outside the confines of traditional approaches to business to see that less structured ways can lead to successful busi- ness practices. Such cultural complexi- ties would not have become evident had the students continued to think ques- tions in business can be answered with an "either/ or" approach. Many times, the answer to questions in business will be "both." Once students have honed their analytical prowess in the classroom and paired it with real-world creativity, they can discover when analysis alone does the job and when it comes up short. They become more holistic thinkers who are able to take an apparent paradox and find where two seemingly opposing objectives intersect, and often, even work together. So, let's return to where we to be both creative and analytical to achieve new product development. As the students work with a corpo- rate partner to explore product vari- ations for a different venue—say, coffee vending machines for a the- ater, gas station, or family restau- rant—their greatest insights revolve around learning to manage a multi- disciplinary team. During the term, design and business students contin- ue to shift from a feeling of frustra- tion to one of excitement, moving away from a dogmatic belief in their analysis, and the design students can realize that artistic, improvisational thinking alone won't sell a product. These types of opportunities still It's only when we take a step "beyond the box" that we can begin to teach students what business already knows — creativity and analysis go hand in hand. began, with the face-off between the design students and the business students. In this case, pairing busi- ness and design students pushed both groups to recognize the need own points of view and toward a genuine appreciation of the others' different perspectives and expertise. The need for a union between tradi- tional instruction and real-world insight is powerfully illustrated through their "inside the box, out- side the box" debate. We must bring that debate into the learning process; through such open discus- sion, business students can see the limitations of logical, systematic seem unusual in most business schools, but they can, and should, become more rule than exception in management education. Educators must look more diligently beyond the traditional classroom, to one that is neither merely traditional nor merely unconventional. They must apply more subtle, more elastic con- trol over their classrooms, integrat- ing conventional teaching methods with hands-on applications. That is, educa- tors themselves must be able to step inside and out- side of the box with ease, before they can effectively teach their students to do the same. Failing that, educators inspire innovation. Not only that, they create a learning environment where teaching becomes an enrich- ing experience, one that challenges and invigorates not only the stu- dents, but the teacher as well. ■ z Marianne W. Lewis, a professor of man - agement, is associate dean for innovation and program development at the University of Cincinnati's College of Business Administration in Ohio. BizEd NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2002 57 will squander opportunities to develop critical and para- doxical thinkers for a busi- ness world that sorely needs them. They will also lose an opportunity to develop their own skills at manag- ing paradoxes, which would be a shame. After all, while paradoxes offer a challenge to business educators, they also have the power to