INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH & WRITING

1. INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH & WRITING Irish Academy of Management 23 April 2013

2. PROLOGUE The scientific community shapes • the way the world is understood and • the definition of problems worth solving To be a ‘scholar’ it is necessary to connect with a scientific community & interact with their worldview and problem definition

3. 1. Description of the research/publication task and its inherent difficulties Argument that these difficulties increase as disciplinary boundaries are brought together, crossed, or transcended 2. Description of real world complexities, new pressures and their inherent difficulties Advice for research and writing if you decide 2 is more important than 1 Overview

4. Inherent sensemaking difficulties of research and publication Designing Research for Publication (2008)

5. Figure 1.1: The Sensemaking/Sensegiving Circle of Scholarship sensemaking sensegiving sensegiving sensemaking Individual Scholar Academic Presentations & Publications

6. Figure 1.1: The Sensemaking/Sensegiving Circle of Scholarship It is difficult to send sense back – i.e. publish sensemaking sensegiving sensegiving sensemaking Individual Scholar Academic Presentations & Publications It is not easy to make sense of the literature

7. David Whetten D 2004 AOM Organizational Management and THEORY Division

8. Hard to make sense ofeven one sub-discipline! 2004 AoM Organizational Management and THEORY Division At ONE meeting

9. Sensemaking Sensegiving Sensegiving Sensemaking THIS is interesting / engaging significant / enduring trustworthy / authoritative  My Scholarly Activities  Other Experience WHAT is interesting / engaging? significant / enduring ? trustworthy / authoritative? Sensemaking Sensegiving Sensegiving Sensemaking Figure 2.1: The Scholar’s Sensemaking Task The academic conversations that interest me

10. Sensemaking Sensegiving Sensegiving Sensemaking THIS is interesting / engaging significant / enduring trustworthy / authoritative  My Scholarly Activities  Other Experience WHAT is interesting / engaging? significant / enduring ? trustworthy / authoritative? Sensemaking Sensegiving Sensegiving Sensemaking Figure 2.1: The Scholar’s Sensemaking Task Contribution often comes from unique experience The academic conversations that interest me Which adds its own complexity

11. Suggestions for Theory & Research Scholars Practitioners & Policy Makers Suggestions for Adaptation to Practice Figure 10.1: A “Virtuous Circle” of Interaction with Practice and Policy We work in business schools – many think we should also acknowledge organisational perspectives!

12. Theoretic Gaps & Disagreements Problems, Agendas Observations, Theories-in-use Joint research design reflecting different objectives, interpretive Frames, etc. Social Setting Other Scholars ´Inside` Collaborator ´Outside` Scholar Improved Explanations Improved Performance Figure 10.3: “Inside/Outside” Collaborations I am interested in collaboration, much more challenging

13. Figure 1.4: An Overly Ambitious Conversational Map Professional Literature A Professional Literature B Experience Area of Practice1 Area of Practice 2 My Project Academic Subject N Philosophical Discussion X Academic Subject M Philosophical Discussion Y Academic Subject P Academic Subject O Philosophical Discussion Z Education

14. Figure 1.5: A Manageable Conversational Map  Conversation associated with a field (Academic M) that fits my training & interests, also providing presentation & publication opportunities . My Project . Maybe policy & practical issues from my context (prof lit 2) Maybe secondary interest & a source of ideas for explanation (input from Z or P) .  The conversation I want to contribute to

15. In other words, defining and carrying out a research project is not easy! I believe that difficulties increase as disciplinary boundaries are brought together (multidisciplinary) crossed (interdisciplinary) or relaxed (transdisciplinary)

16. 360° Multidisciplinary Ideal

17. Can work well • As a design principle for curriculum design (e.g. MBA) or a text book • In large scholarly projects to which individuals from different disciplines contribute  e.g. Changes along the US/Canadian boarder that should influence government policy – inputs from economics, sociology, political science, etc. • To explain complicated issues in the ‘real world’ Exemplar: Graham Allison’s Essence of Decision Cuban Missile Crisis (Rational Action Model, Organizational Process Model, Governmental Politics Model)

18. Often difficult to publish multidisciplinary work • Each discipline has its own - theoretic history - vocabulary - contextsof interest - methods - current AGENDA, etc. etc. • Audience from one discipline less interested in, accepting of, able to understand, the complexities of other disciplines

19. Figure 1.2: Two Conversations about Similar Topics I and I’ A B C D E F G H Ontology/epistemology Ontology/epistemology Discipline S Profession M Base Discipline P Subfield Subfield Subfield Theory x Theory z Theory y Internet citations obscure different conversations Conversation about org identity Conversation about org identity2 Journals Ŏ,Ő,Θ Journals Ş,Ŝ,Ś methodology methodology methodology Professional association Professional association

20. Structure of publishing reflects this reality • Most journals are associated with specific disciplines - editors and reviewers understand that discipline, believe it is important - likely to prioritise ‘on target’ submissions FREQUENT SOLUTION  Import a few ideas from another discipline (ONE, maybe two) as a contribution to primary conversation – the author translates

21. Multidisciplinary inquiry leads to new fields • Chemistry and Biology • History and Psychology • Economics and Sociology • Note the bold (one field seems to dominate, at least in the beginning)

22. Interdisciplinary ideal To few

23. Experience outside academics often important • Engineering, biology …  NANOSCIENCE  Practice • Strategy, economics…  ENTREPRENEURSHIP  Practice

24. RESEARCH AND PUBLISHING DIFFICULTIES POSED BY THE “REAL WORLD”

25. LIFE is complex (especially if you are a constructivist) • Even post-positivists, realists, etc. admit limits to human understanding • Unacknowledged antecedents & unanticipated consequences of action make learning difficult • Constructivists argue that the world itself is indeterminate, unfolding makes prediction difficult

26. In other words • Academic silos (encouraged by research and publishing norms) fall short • Often we are not able to be helpful • When we are, we often rise above disciple

27. Transdisciplinary Ideal

28. When is Transdisciplinarity required? • Global Security(politics, computing, economics, sociology, corporations, etc. etc. etc.) • Platforms for acting are woefully inadequate • Great need for specialized understanding, which is woefully inadequate • What to publish??? Where????

29. ADVICE if you are drawn to multi/inter/trans disciplinary

30. 1. DO NOT WAIT • …until you have more time, more freedom, more security • it is likely to be too late • you will become what you do in the meantime

31. 2. TAKE A PORTFOLIO PERSPECIVE • Very risky to give all your attention to new approaches • Give significant attention to projects that are relatively easy to do, and publish • a few multidisciplinary projects make sense from a lifestyle perspective, to learn how to do a new kind of work, and as seeds for later projects  SPEND MORE TIME PRUNING THAN ADDING TO A PORTFOLIO !

32. The root of DECIDE means “to cut” • Scissors • Incisors

33. 3. LOOK FOR EXEMPLARS • Think about whether it is necessary to invent the wheel – the more interesting work likely to be beyond first steps • Look at news • Look for existing research, websites, etc.

34. 4. ALLY WITH FELLOW TRAVELLERS • Remember that academic research is a social activity • Remember that you will be evaluated by the company you keep – but beware if you care about elitism very much • Almost all innovation happens at the periphery not in the middle or at the top

35. 5. MAXIMIZE LINKS AMONG TEACHING, SERVICE & RESEARCH • Even in required modules with a syllabus, choose examples, speakers, etc. from your area of interest • In other words, teach yourself  shift, de-emphasize, delegate, etc. to make your life easier, but also to bring coherence to your activity and thinking

36. 6. WRITE A FORMAL STATEMENT JUSTIFYING YOUR OVERALL RESEARCH AGENDA • Introduce with a statement of who you are --your identity as a scholar • How the subjects you study relate • Future plans and dates • Especially, publication plans •  ASSESS PRIMARILY FROM AN EXTERNAL PERSPECTIVE, RETHINK IF RESULTS ARE NOT COMFORTABLE FROM YOUR INTERNAL PERSPECTIVE

37. i.e. Write an “academic portfolio” – you need a map and your evaluators will need a map • http://www.hr.uwa.edu.au/working/promotion/academic/portfolio#academic • www.ouhsc.edu/.../Portfolio_Research_AAP_2012_vwlf_000.pdf

38. Prepare for the journalist at your door Prepare for research funding proposals You should be able to say why your work is important and interesting in simple words

39. Last Thought

40. Prepare for Anti-Disciplinary! • MIT Media Lab Director: JoiIto • http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2012/11/features/open-university?page=all • Ito was originally rejected for the role because he lacked academic credentials. "The search committee said out of courtesy …send him an email appreciating his interest but …he didn't qualify," Nicholas Negroponterecalls…. • "Six months later, we came up empty, with no candidate. And Joi's name floated back to the top of the list. I sent Joi an email -- where are you? He said, I'm in the Bahamas. I said get your ass up to MIT as soon as you can. He came two days later [and got the job]."

41. [MIT] Media Lab is a community of inventors who work atelier style as members of research teams, doing the things that conventional wisdom says can’t or shouldn't be done • http://www.media.mit.edu/admissions/program-overview • Needed, to some extent, in all areas of inquiry • http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/future-for-media-lab

42. http://thenextweb.tumblr.com/post/11696874984/director-of-mits-media-lab-joi-ito-we-like-tohttp://thenextweb.tumblr.com/post/11696874984/director-of-mits-media-lab-joi-ito-we-like-to • Director of MIT’s Media Lab Joi Ito : “We like to think of ourselves as anti-disciplinary in our approach to learning. Everyone here is deeply devoted to their field, but very respectful of each other and it shows.” • Ito points to the architecture of the Lab itself as part of the process for collaboration. Rebuilt in 2009, the Media Lab extension space was designed by Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki. Students from various disciplines can peek through the expansive glass walls and find inspiration in each other’s projects. According to Ito, it’s through this spirit of collaboration and respect that innovations like Yo Yo Ma’s hypercello sensors can later inspire technologies in car airbags. • http://park.org/Events/BrainOpera/Archive/Hyperinstruments/hypercello.html • http://web.media.mit.edu/~joep/SpectrumWeb/captions/Cello.html

43. References • Boyer, Ernest (1997). Scholarship Reconsidered. Carnegie. • Gibbons, Michael; Camille Limoges, Helga Nowotny, Simon Schwartzman, Peter Scott, & Martin Trow (1994). The new production of knowledge: the dynamics of science and research in contemporary societies. Sage. • Mode 1 (academic based) and Mode 2 (problem based) knowledge creation • Huff, Anne (2008). Designing Research for Publication. Sage. • Huff, Anne S & James O Huff. (2001) Re-focusing the business school agenda. British Journal of Management 12 (s1), S49-S54 Mode 3 (ethics) • Huff, Anne (2000). Changes in Organizational Knowledge Production. Academy of Management Review 25 (2), 288-293 Mode 1.5 (between academics and practice) • Nowotny, Helga; Peter Scott & Michael Gibbons (2001). Rethinking science: knowledge in an age of uncertainty. Cambridge: Polity