Expert Interdisciplinary Work and Collaboration

Research is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary due to the inherent complexity of the phenomena under study. Interdisciplinarity is "en vogue" - associated with creative, progressive scientific research likely to lead to applicable results. Complex problems cross the boundaries of traditional disciplines and thus, require individuals and groups to engage in interdisciplinary inquiry and collaboration to generate knowledge that is more than the sum of its parts. And while European scholars are working on mapping the contours of "the disciplines" in the course of the Bologna process to further brachiate the tree of knowledge, KLEIN states in her recent landmark book "Creating Interdisciplinary Campus Cultures" that the concept of "the disciplines" has increasingly taken on the stance of an "inconvenient fiction." After introducing the topic and its relevance, the chapter presents a definition of interdisciplinary research as well as selected characteristics of interdisciplinary research collaboration (section II). After that, impeding (obstacles) as well as on enabling factors regarding interdisciplinary research collaboration will be submitted (section III) and some implications will be outlined (section IV). Finally, ideas for (future) research on interdisciplinary research collaboration will be sketched out (section V).

This paper presents the findings of multiple case studies examining the qualities of collaborative work of academics working together in interdisciplinary research groups. It is suggested that the effective interdisciplinary integration of knowledge depends on the creation of a collectively constructed space in which academics interact socially, emotionally and cognitively to study a shared problem and advance productive insights through interdisciplinary exchange. A systematic understanding of the core mechanisms by which experts merge disciplinary traditions to tackle complex problems evolves around three quality dimensions of interdisciplinary collaboration: Intellectual dimension (e.g., the nature of the problem under study, the groups' intellectual goals), interactional dimension (e.g., team composition like size, roles; team leadership, identity, team communication, working styles) and institutional dimension (e.g., funding, criteria used to monitor interdisciplinary work). A systematic understanding of these core mechanisms can help researchers and educators to move beyond over-specialization and engage in successful inter-disciplinary work.

The case study summarizes the results from data (interviews, questionnaires) collected in researching the "An Aging Society" network funded by the MacArthur foundation. The study is part of the Successful Interdisciplinary Collaboration Project which seeks to advance an empirically grounded theory of platforms for interdisciplinary collaboration.