Applying an Organizational Psychology Model for Developing Shared Goals in Interdisciplinary Research Teams

Abstract

Developing solutions to contemporary sustainability challenges requires new integrative forms of knowledge production, such as those embodied by interdisciplinary research approaches. The growing interest and investment toward building successful interdisciplinary collaborations has led to an emergent body of literature focused on understanding how to optimize interdisciplinary research processes. One of the recurrent themes throughout this literature has been the importance of establishing shared goals at the onset of research efforts, which can increase the efficiency and efficacy of both knowledge production processes, and efforts to link that knowledge to decision-making processes. To date, however, there remains little guidance for the most effective methods for establishing shared goals within interdisciplinary research environments. To help address this gap, in this paper and via a case study, we explore the utility of an organizational psychology model, the ASPIRe model, for developing shared goals within sustainability-focused interdisciplinary research teams.