Interpersonal Interaction

Even individuals disposed to collaboration can fail if steps are not taken to ensure that they understand each other and have shared goals and expectations. Successful interpersonal interaction depends upon several factors:

· Respectful and constructive conversation.

· Formalizing expectations at the start [See Useful Questions to Ask].

· Regular interactions to clarify goals, roles, and tasks. Only then can the team transcend disciplinary boundaries and generate new ideas. [Again, see Useful Questions to Ask]

· A balance between periods of intense collaboration and periods where individuals or subgroups work independently

· Careful planning of any independent specialized research that is undertaken within the broader project, so that it is known in advance when and how this will ideally be integrated into the broader project. From Wiesmann in the Handbook of Transdisciplinary Research

· Opportunities for informal interactions among team members

· ‘Appreciative inquiry’ where team members learn the strengths of other team members, and to see through their eyes [The Bammer book on Dialogic Methods speaks of this too; also 'strategic assumption surfacing' which seeks to identify competing assumptions; and Delphi method; principled negotiation when interests diverge can guide the team to shared goals]

· Protocols for sharing and managing information. Teams often struggle with information overload.

The main source here is:Stokols, Daniel, Shalini Misra, Richard P. Moser, Kara L. Hall, Brandie K. Taylor, (2008) “The Ecology of Team Science: Understanding Contextual Influences on Transdisciplinary Collaboration” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 35:2S, 96-115.