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Transdisciplinarity: Joint Problem Solving among Science, Technology, and Society An Effective Way for Managing Complexity
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Several basic questions are answered at the outset. What is transdisciplinarity, and what kind of research is it? Why and where is it needed? What was learned about main goals of the conference: (1) developing transdisciplinary practice (clear goals, careful preparation, competent management, funding for cooperative work), (2) promoting transdisciplinary research (openness on the sides of academia and practice, platforms for contact and promotion, adequate forms of evaluation), (3) creating favorable institutional structures (education and training, funding structures, incentives).
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... Despite these strengths, collaboration with multiple stakeholders can be challenging due to differing knowledge or epistemologies, power imbalances, and resource constraints, such as time, finances, and limited multidisciplinary expertise [27,28]. However, TDR and participatory approaches promote knowledge sharing among scientific, societal, and non-academic stakeholders [29,30]. They facilitate capacity building and the efficient translation of research findings into action-driven solutions [17,31], optimising resource utilisation that aligns with community-specific needs and encourages community participation in combatting NTDs [32,33]. ...
... Due to the lack of a universal definition for TDR and the varying perspectives on methodological standards [35][36][37], this review considered a study as TDR if it demonstrated a shared goal of addressing complex real-world problems through the integration of diverse knowledge systems and collaboration between scientific, societal, and non-academic stakeholders [30]. To qualify as TDR, the study must also include individuals or their communities directly impacted by NTDs, ensuring a systemic approach to co-creating holistic and sustainable solutions. ...
... All the studies included in this review [42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58] have featured TDR and participatory research approaches as their central component, yet a precise definition for TDR was absent. Notably, only Peters et al. [56] used the definition of TDR as provided by Klein in 2001 [30]: Transdisciplinarity has been defined as "a new form of learning and problem-solving involving cooperation between different parts of society and science in order to meet complex challenges of society. Transdisciplinary research starts from tangible, real-world problems. ...
Introduction
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) comprise a group of twenty diverse diseases or conditions that pose significant public health challenges and adversely impact the quality of life of affected individuals. NTDs are characterised by interconnected biological, social, and environmental factors, which complicate their effective management and eradication. Collaborative research, such as transdisciplinary research (TDR) and participatory approaches that engage scientific, societal, and non-academic stakeholders in co-creating action-driven solutions offer promising strategies to address NTDs. These approaches bridge scientific research with community practices, ensuring evidence-based, contextually relevant interventions. Despite their potential, the application of these approaches in addressing NTDs remains underexplored. This scoping review explores the utilisation of TDR and participatory research approaches to address NTD-related challenges.
Methods
A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and CINAHL, following the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. Data extraction and analysis were performed using JBI SUMARI software, focusing on peer-reviewed published literature reporting the use of TDR and participatory approaches in NTDs, with an emphasis on individual and community perspectives.
Results
The review examined seventeen articles from Africa, Asia, South America, and Australia, highlighting the increasing use of TDR and participatory approaches to address common NTDs such as leprosy, schistosomiasis, rabies, Buruli ulcer, and trypanosomiasis. These approaches engaged diverse stakeholders to develop practical, community-oriented solutions. Key strategies included enhancing public awareness, improving screening programmes, and implementing measures to control NTDs. However, challenges such as fragmented strategies and weak health systems hindered efforts to reduce the burden of NTDs.
Conclusion
TDR and participatory approaches contribute to a holistic approach in addressing and managing NTD-related challenges by engaging diverse stakeholders and fostering a comprehensive understanding of community needs and on-the-ground realities. The findings demonstrate their effectiveness in translating evidence-informed knowledge into actionable interventions to benefit affected individuals and their communities.
... Thomson Klein et al. (2001). ...
The concept of levels of Reality, formulated in 1982, is the key concept of transdisciplinarity1. The introduction of the levels of Reality induces a multidimensional and multi-referential structure of Reality, signifying the coexistence between complex plurality and open unity. Every level is characterized by its incompleteness; the laws governing this level are just a part of the totality of laws governing all levels. And even the totality of laws does not exhaust the entire Reality; we have also to consider the interaction between Subject and Object. The zone between two different levels and beyond all levels is a zone of non-resistance to our experiences, representations, descriptions, images, and mathematical formulations. The Gödelian structure of levels of Reality implies the impossibility of a selfenclosed complete theory. Knowledge is forever open. The unity of levels of Reality of the Object and its complementary zone of non-resistance defines the transdisciplinary Object. The unity of levels of Reality of the Subject and this complementary zone of non-resistance defines the transdisciplinary Subject. The zone of non-resistance plays the role of a third between the Subject and the Object, an interaction term which allows the unification of the transdisciplinary Subject and the transdisciplinary Object. This interaction term is called the Hidden Third. The ternary partition (Subject, Object, Hidden Third) is, of course, radically different from the binary partition (Subject vs. Object) of classical realism.
... For this and many other reasons we have made several efforts in stakeholder engagement and the focus on transdisciplinary approaches. The concept of transdisciplinary (TD) research, as defined by Klein et al. (2001), involves the collaborative effort of various academic disciplines in conjunction with nonacademic practitioners to address real-world problems. Pohl (2011) further elaborates on TD research, highlighting four key elements: 1. ...
Grasslands are important in the context of farming-nature relationships due to their interconnected ecosystem, as illustrated by the Montado silvo-pastoral system and its biodiverse Mediterranean pastures. These extensive land use systems serve not only as habitats for diverse wildlife but also contribute significantly to essential ecological functions. Biodiverse pastures foster water infiltration, shield the soil from erosion, and function as a carbon sink, highlighting their multifaceted benefits, particularly in an era of climate disturbances, such as water scarcity. The significance of these qualities is well-recognized by key stakeholders of the system, particularly farmers. Nutritive and long-lasting grasslands translate to a substantial reduction in the costs of livestock production. However, the ability to safeguard grasslands is diminishing due to intensification processes, declining soil health and an escalating frequency of droughts and floods. Farmers, as key decision-makers in grassland management, find their options dwindling. A pivotal aspect of the farmers' decision-making process revolves around the directives of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). A significant portion of their income is derived from subsidies, with farmers' associations playing a crucial role in guiding their members through the subsidy application process. However, these associations are evolving to focus more on the professional management of subsidy applications and less on assisting farmers in adopting management practices that ensure grassland resilience in the face of current climate conditions. Given that CAP encompasses a broad array of distinct interventions, it becomes imperative to articulate policies based on common desirable outcomes. Failure to do so may result in the achievements of one intervention hindering the goals of others. Therefore, a careful examination of policy influence on decisions shaping the future of grasslands is vital. Our goal is to describe and discuss the intricate relationship between policy and farmers' decision-making options that have the potential to compromise the resilience of grassland systems.
... Researchers have also established that joint research projects that receive external funding are among the forms of university-industry collaboration (Rantala et al., 2021;Schiller & Brimble, 2009). Joint research projects bring together researchers from academia and industry to collectively address complex problems or explore innovative ideas (Bozeman et al., 2013;Klein, 2001). External funding sources, such as government agencies or private organisations, often catalyse these partnerships. ...
University-industry collaborations (UICs), which are frequently aided by the government, are thought to be essential to enhancing local and national innovation systems. Previous studies have identified barriers to UICs, but there is a dearth of empirical knowledge about the types of UICs and their challenges in the context of developing prospective models to enhance UICs, thereby restricting our ability to execute UICs. This study seeks to determine a prospective communication model for UICs by examining the various forms of UICs and the communication models used by universities and industries for collaboration. The study also establishes the challenges in UICs and measures to address them. The study adopted a qualitative research approach focusing on the service industry with three (03) service firms that have collaborated with the University of Kisubi, and one academic institution which is the University of Kisubi. The study findings reveal that the various forms of UIC in Uganda include student projects in the form of internships, research projects, and funding of research projects. The study findings also reveal that the barriers to UICs which include lack of trust, fear of knowledge link, and incompatibility occur at different stages. The study concludes that a communication model for UIC is pertinent to solving the barriers to UICs and enables the execution of UICs. The current study also provides a guiding framework for both university and industry practitioners by developing a consolidated communication model for UICs. Theoretically, by integrating the Theory of Communicative Action into UICs, our study provides a robust theoretical foundation for understanding the dynamics of communication in these partnerships and proposes models to enhance collaborations. Universities and industries ought to generate relevant collaboration partners and establish personal links using the communication model.
... For this reason, our empirical results need to be viewed against this backdrop. At the same time, we think that Switzerland is a particularly interesting case due to its (1) well-funded research institutions and (2) its rich tradition in ITD research Klein et al., 2001;Paulsen & Kueffer, 2023), both of which turn out to be important, yet not sufficient conditions for making ITD integration automatically happen in practice. Furthermore, we think that overall our findings provide relevant insights for ITD programs located in similar socio-economic and political contexts. ...
... This form of knowledge production is, as a result, more sensitised to socio-political and temporal considerations and is ultimately more socially robust (Gibbons et al. 1994;Nowotny et al. 2003). Indeed the critique of relying exclusively on 'Mode 1″ knowledge production is fuelling shifts to a process whereby knowledge is 'coproduced' (Klein et al. 2001;Kasemir et al. 2003;Cundill et al. 2005;Hadorn et al. 2006). ...
This review article engages with Stefan Helmreich's paper 'Waves dangerous, domesticated, and diagnostic' as well as his 'A Book of Waves'. It offers a set of critical commentaries on key themes raised in these works unpacking the role of wave science, technology and power in various contexts: On treating waves as an outside enemy to be fought by hard barriers between land and water, or as objects of commodification when models functions as ways to claim and export knowledge thereby overriding other forms of knowing waves and protecting coasts; On the role of the state in coastal governance in the Global South and on transdisciplinary approaches dealing with the systemic nature of coastal risks and resilience; On comparison and integration of modern wave science with indigenous knowledges; On the importance of social besides physical oceanography; On practices of attuning not only to the daily tidal schedule and coastal weather, but also to the oceanic rhythms, tempos, and shifts that materialize the ocean's potentials and risks, and on waves as carriers of meaning. The review paper ends with a response by Helmreich.
... Target determination, when described as a personal engagement to try, or persistence for a target, is an analytical determinant to target achievement (Klein et al., 2001, Meyer et al., 2004. Determination to target is utmost to experience confident results of targets on achievement. ...
Coaching is considered as a great tool for employees in any organization to understand the goal so as they can work towards it which turns into good performance of the organization. Coaching program was introduced in Rwandan local government entities to see whether employees can improve on these entities’ performance regarding performance contract Imihigo. The present paper intends to study effects of coaching programs in the Imihigo region of Rwamagana district. Researchers applied a case study research design through which a case study was selected and qualitative data were then collected. Information collected by the use of interviews and the content from documents was thematically analysed. The GROW (goals, reality, options and will) model was considered as a theoretical guide for the study. The total of 108 Local government employees from Rwamagana district was the target population from which 85 employees were purposively selected. Saturation was applied as a sample elements selection technique. The findings of the paper showed that there are positive effects of coaching programs on the good performance of Rwamagana district in “Performance Contracts” termed as Imihigo. It was revealed that, there are changes manifested due to collaboration existing between the Coaching Program and Local Government institutions in the budgetary years 2017-2019 when this approach was implemented in all Districts. Coaching interventions administered on organization employees showed their influential effects in performing very well in Imihigo contract of Rwamagana district. Based on the aforementioned findings, the study concluded that the coaching intervention, among other factors, was identified as an agent of significant effects manifested in three consecutive financial years towards better performance of Imihigo of Rwamanagana district. As suggestions to central, local government and partners, there is a need to undertake coaching initiatives to continue enhancing local government entities’ capacity to effectively deliver to their mandate. The national, local government and stakeholders must raise enough money to sustain the implementation coaching approach since it proved to be of importance for local governments. Recipients of the program are supposed to also make the program theirs for its effectiveness and sustainability.
This paper describes a workshop process that aimed to explore transdisciplinary approaches to digital childhoods and produces recommendations drawn from these experiences.
It emphasises the importance of recognising not only the differences between academic disciplines, and between academic and non-academic disciplines, but also the more foundational distinctions between Western and Indigenous knowledge systems. It also builds on existing work that highlights the importance of interpersonal dynamics to successful transdisciplinary engagement and draws attention to the generative possibilities of engaging with specific theorisations of transdisciplinarity.
Our aim is for these records and recommendations to benefit the Digital Child Centre in its continuing efforts to develop a transdisciplinary culture as well as other research groups and organisations that might be engaging with the challenges of fostering meaningful transdisciplinarity.
Egon Brunswik is one of the most brilliant, creative and least understood and appreciated psychologists/philosophers of the 20th century. This book presents a collection of Brunswik’s most important papers together with interpretive comments by prominent scholars who explain the intent and development of his thought. This collection and the accompanying diverse examples of the application of his ideas will encourage a deeper understanding of Brunswik in the 21st century than was the case in the 20th century. The 21st century already shows signs of acceptance of Brunswikian thought with the appearance of psychologists with a different focus; emulation of physical science is of less importance, and positive contributions toward understanding behavior outside the laboratory without abandoning rigor are claiming more notice. As a result, Brunswik’s theoretical and methodological views are already gaining the attention denied them in the 20th century. The plan of this book is to provide, for the first time, in one place the articles that show the origins of his thought, with all their imaginative and creative spirit, as well as thoughtful, scholarly interpretations of the development, meaning and application of his ideas to modern psychology. Thus, his views will become more understandable and more widely disseminated, as well as advanced through the fresh meaning given to them by the psychologists of the 21st century.
Stuart Kauffman here presents a brilliant new paradigm for evolutionary biology, one that extends the basic concepts of Darwinian evolution to accommodate recent findings and perspectives from the fields of biology, physics, chemistry and mathematics. The book drives to the heart of the exciting debate on the origins of life and maintenance of order in complex biological systems. It focuses on the concept of self-organization: the spontaneous emergence of order widely observed throughout nature. Kauffman here argues that self-organization plays an important role in the emergence of life itself and may play as fundamental a role in shaping life's subsequent evolution as does the Darwinian process of natural selection. Yet until now no systematic effort has been made to incorporate the concept of self-organization into evolutionary theory. The construction requirements which permit complex systems to adapt remain poorly understood, as is the extent to which selection itself can yield systems able to adapt more successfully. This book explores these themes. It shows how complex systems, contrary to expectations, can spontaneously exhibit stunning degrees of order, and how this order, in turn, is essential for understanding the emergence and development of life on Earth. Topics include the new biotechnology of applied molecular evolution, with its important implications for developing new drugs and vaccines; the balance between order and chaos observed in many naturally occurring systems; new insights concerning the predictive power of statistical mechanics in biology; and other major issues. Indeed, the approaches investigated here may prove to be the new center around which biological science itself will evolve. The work is written for all those interested in the cutting edge of research in the life sciences.
Nobel Laureate Herbert A. Simon has in the past quarter century been in the front line of the information-processing revolution; in fact, to a remarkable extent his and his colleagues' contributions have written the history of that revolution in cognitive psychology. This book brings together papers dating from the start of Simon's career to the present. Its focus is on modeling the chief components of human cognition and on testing these models experimentally.
- This paper describes the process of inducting theory using case studies from specifying the research questions to reaching closure. Some features of the process, such as problem definition and construct validation, are similar to hypothesis-testing research. Others, such as within-case analysis and replication logic, are unique to the inductive, case-oriented process. Overall, the process described here is highly iterative and tightly linked to data. This research approach is especially appropriate in new topic areas. The resultant theory is often novel, testable, and empirically valid. Finally, framebreaking insights, the tests of good theory (e.g., parsimony, logical coherence), and convincing grounding in the evidence are the key criteria for evaluating this type of research.