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Social scientists should play a central role in natural resource management teams, according to new research at Murdoch University.Dr Michael Booth from Murdoch’s Institute of Sustainability and Technology Policy (ISTP) recently completed a six-month investigation of interdisciplinary scientific teams to discover why they were not solving issues as quickly as hoped. “Many people have the misconception that interdisciplinary teams simply need experts from different areas to solve a problem,” said Dr Booth. “However, these teams often end in power struggles between researchers who have very different points of view. “We were trying to find ways to integrate teams, so that resources could be used more effectively.” Dr Booth, ISTP PhD candidate Mr Steven Rodgers and Dr Fionnuala Frost from the consultancy AgInsight, worked with two focus groups and examined six case studies in environmental research to investigate issues of interdisciplinary methodology. The work developed a new concept of ‘post-disciplinary science’, drawing out how skills from applied science may be translated into use in more complex situations to solve new problems that are risky and uncertain. “Scientists are great problem-solvers, but barriers can form in interdisciplinary groups without appropriate communication skills and knowledge of interpersonal processes,” said Dr Booth. “Tacit knowledge and the socialization of researchers into the group need skillful understanding. “Social scientists play a crucial role in this as well as in substantive knowledge of social, economic and political issues.” Using the information gleaned from the study, Dr Booth’s team developed a communication strategy for the Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corporation (LWRRDC). |
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Editor: Pepi Smyth
Produced by the ">Office
of Community Relations, Murdoch
University |
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