An Introduction to Transdisciplinary Working

Abstract

Transdisciplinary working (TDW) is a new model of knowledge production that has emerged in response to a changing research environment in the late twentieth century. In particular, researchers are increasingly required to be accountable and responsive to social priorities and needs, and there is greater pressure to bridge their research with real life (e.g., bench to bedside, discovery to commercialization). This has prompted researchers and funders to adopt new types of approaches to knowledge production that are context-driven, problem-focused, and participatory. These approaches involve the collaboration of multiple academics across scientific disciplines and experiential non-academics across sectors (e.g., industry, patients, policy-makers, health professionals). This is typically practiced in large-scale research and training initiatives where the purpose is to advance knowledge and create innovative solutions (Stokols, Hall, & Voge, 2013). Integration and innovation at this scale are difficult and require TDW to ensure the problem space and research processes and outcomes are not restricted by a single disciplinary and/or sectoral framing. TDW is thus most appropriate for the most complex and seemingly stubborn (often referred to as wicked) social problems, which necessitate not one but often multiple solutions (Boger et al., 2017). Solving wicked problems cannot be done by refining or adapting existing disciplinary or sector-specific knowledge, but rather it requires transcending current ways of thinking and progressing toward more holistic solutions. TDW supports the creation of a transformative space, that is, a rethinking of the problem area by linking diverse types of knowledge and actions, and envisioning how to mobilize resources and create new possibilities for social change (Marshall, Dolley, & Priya, 2018).