The greatest challenges facing the sustainability sector today cannot be solved by a single point of view. At ISF, we believe that transdisciplinary research is the key to tackling complex, messy and wicked sustainability problems such as water and food security, poverty, and climate change.
At ISF, transdisciplinary research is focused on:
- understanding what is happening in a complex situation
- identifying the people with an important perspective to share
- defining the situational boundaries
- articulating the questions or inquiry that make the most sense to explore
- selecting the sense-making tools that can extract value from the questions
- progressing, integrating and synthesising the findings in the most relevant way.
The goal of transdisciplinary research is to achieve a “unity of knowledge” that transcends traditional disciplinary siloes.
Our approach
ISF’s approach to transdisciplinary research and practice is unique: we begin at the end. That means we start by identifying the desired outcomes of our research, rather than focusing on the process of conducting the work.
There are three main types of outcomes we aim to achieve:
- Situation, or an improvement within the “situation” or field of enquiry
- Knowledge, or the generation of stocks and flows of knowledge
- Learning, or the process of mutual and transformative learning between researchers and research participants that increase the likelihood of persistent change.
What does this mean for you?
For our clients, this approach means that we remain focused on research impact over the lifespan of the work. When you partner with us, we’ll work with you to define your desired project outcomes. We will then design the research project around achieving those outcomes, ensuring that all our work begins and ends with impact.
Leaders in theory and practice
ISF is recognised as a world leader in transdisciplinary theory and practice. As well as developing the theoretical foundation required for truly transdisciplinary work, we also have the expertise and demonstrated experience to transform knowledge into meaningful action.
Hand and heart
The ISF-produced book Transdisciplinary Research and Practice for Sustainability Outcomes details a “hand and heart” approach to successful sustainability research.
The “hand” dimension refers to practical skills such as writing reports, facilitating meetings and communicating effectively across disciplines. The “heart” dimension spans the Six Cs, or the attitudes, dispositions and temperaments that enable effective research processes:
- curiosity
- creativity
- commitment
- critical awareness
- connectedness
- communication.
Our commitment to combining hand and heart capabilities in all our transdisciplinary work is key to our research approach.
