The Practice of Interdisciplinarity

Abstract

There is a rocky chasm between the promise of interdisciplinary research and successful interdisciplinary research practice. As a group of researchers from New Zealand, based in five different disciplines (consumer psychology, economics, sociology, law, engineering), we share an interest in the behaviour of energy consumers, but understand behaviour through very different lenses. Initially we were mutually baffled by our discipline-specific languages and diverse theoretical stances. Over a period of time, however, we developed ways of working together to realise the benefits of collaboration.In this paper we reflect on the differences between disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity, and discuss the practices we have adopted that support interdisciplinarity. These include the importance of trust, focusing on a problem, being aware of limits, sharing a common intellectual framework, testing ideas across the disciplines, and practicing interdisciplinarity at every level of the research project. We suggest that not all people are comfortable with interdisciplinary work, and draw parallels with Kohlberg's 'stages of moral development', in that interdisciplinarians need to be 'post-conventional' in the sense that they do not feel bound by the conventions of their own discipline and recognise the legitimacy and value of other perspectives and methods of inquiry.

Fostering Interdisciplinarity: Implications for Social Sciences

“…As stated by Stephenson et al (2010), interdisciplinary research involves dealing with uncertainties. Uncertainty and lower control resulting from an interdisciplinarity in which there is no established tradition, contrary to what happens in the consolidated scientific disciplines, call into question the existing disciplinary identity that is often expressed in institutionalised rigid boundaries (Bammer, 2016;Jay, Rose, & Milligan, 2017;Razmak, & Bé langer, 2016).…”

“…Finally, regarding professional implications, interdisciplinarity influences several dimensions (Lyne, 2015;Stephenson et al, 2010): "interdisciplinarity is more than 'just working together'. It involves paying attention to how we think, how we relate, how we behave, what language we use, how we communicate, and how we co-create knowledge.…”

The energy cultures framework: Exploring the role of norms, practices and material culture in shaping energy behaviour in New Zealand

“…In our paper The Practice of Interdisciplinarity [33], we explained that "while we had only intended it to represent the 'field' we were working within, it was potentially far more powerful, in that it provided a framework around which we could each see where our particular expertise (knowledge and practices) could contribute to understanding the whole" (p. 275). The framework offers a common language for the interdisciplinary team; a systemic representation of key characteristics that can be individually or collectively examined through different research methods; and a model through which these multiple findings can then be considered in an integrated way.…”

The Long Shadow of Peer Review on the Preparation of Artist Educators

“…However, more effective, systemic steps are those that shape institutional or professional structures to foster a culture of interaction and support among scholars so they are better prepared to understand and evaluate one another's work (de Wet 2010;Eisner 2006;Kenna and Berche 2011;Peterson 2011;Stephenson et al 2010;Trower 2008). Two ways to accomplish this include fostering interdisciplinary interaction (on a small or large scale) and implementing policies that facilitate the development of a critical mass of scholars with similar interests so they can create a supportive, self-sustaining academic community.…”

“…One of the most effective and systemic ways to reduce concerns about inequity in peer review and faculty evaluation is to foster a culture in which participants feel that their perspectives and needs are consistently recognized and addressed as fairly as possible (de Wet 2010;Eisner 2006;Kezar and Sam 2010;Stephenson et al 2010;Trower 2008). In such a culture, peer review is an extension of a productive, collegial, everyday experience, rather than an intrusion by strangers.…”