Circular economies: It’s possible with transdisciplinarity

Sustainability has been a global hot topic for the last decade. But in recent years, there’s been a greater consideration of the circular economy and how organisations might move away from linearity. It's certainly been a focus for design, engineering and advisory company Aurecon. 

But how does a global firm like Aurecon begin to understand, let alone solve, a wicked problem as complex as achieving a circular economy? 

Aurecon have been engaged with the Industry Innovation Project for as long as the subject has run. As a long-standing partner of TD School, Aurecon knew there must be untapped opportunity to welcome brilliant minds from the Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation (BCII) to the challenge.

Acknowledging the complexity of the challenge, Aurecon didn’t ask students to find a solution. Rather, they asked a multidisciplinary group of final-year BCII students to dive into understanding the problem and decipher how organisations need to change the way they think about the problem in order to engage with it meaningfully.

Understanding the wicked problem

‘Times are changing and society is beginning to value transdisciplinary approaches more and more,’ said Daniel San Martin, innovation partner at Aurecon.

‘The complexity of the problems we’re trying to solve now require that and transdisciplinarity is becoming ever more necessary.’

It’s human nature to want to solve the problems put before you, whether it’s a complex social or environmental issue or something seemingly minor.

But when it comes to the broader challenges that intersect with every system, it’s less about solving and more about understanding. 

‘It’s rare for a solution to address all symptoms of a problem – and that was one of the skills this group brought to the table. They had the ability to dig into root causes and explore the challenge in a broader sense,’ said San Martin. 

The student team valued the opportunity to explore a broad real-world problem, giving them the space to explore with openness and curiosity.

Aurecon’s brief left room for us to explore and look at the big picture. But it was also nicely tied into something tangible. 

- Cassandra Parker, BCII and business student

‘Aurecon’s brief left room for us to explore and look at the big picture. But it was also nicely tied into something tangible,’ said Cassandra Parker, final year BCII and business student. 

San Martin supported this style of exploration, creating a student learning experience these BCII students continue to appreciate. 

‘We were given so much freedom to take the challenge wherever it led; Aurecon really supported us throughout the project,’ said Leonardo Bosi, final year BCII and science student.

Blending silos

BCII students bring diverse perspectives and skills to their teams. The multidisciplinary nature of their teams cultivates the melding of insights and ideas to push the boundaries of the problem space.

San Martin referred to this process as ‘blending silos’, commending the student team on their ability to bring their own perspectives to the table and simultaneously consider the perspectives of others.

Being able to experience the group's ability to collectively switch very quickly from a moment of laughter straight into focus mode and then back to fun mode... that was a highlight for me.

- Daniel San Martin, innovation partner at Aurecon

The six students who worked with Aurecon met on the first day of the subject in March. The students talk about their experience working with each other as a highlight of their university experience.

They put this down to their ability to be open, vulnerable and trust each other.

‘Our team success stemmed from our collective ability to shift between professionalism and being really sincere, to sometimes a bit more playful,’ said Matthew Saunders, a final year BCII and architecture student.

One of the hallmarks of a high-performing team, outlined by business management expert Lencioni, is the ability to switch back and forth between two modes at the flip of a coin – focus and fun.  

‘Being able to experience the group's ability to collectively switch very quickly from a moment of laughter straight into focus mode and then back to fun mode,’ said San Martin.

‘The way they interacted, the quality of thinking and their approaches to exploration and disagreement – that was a highlight for me.’

A tandem value exchange

IIP is a transformative learning experience for final-year BCII students and helps to prepare them for the realities of the workforce.

‘Working with Aurecon showed me people within industry do value the insights that we, as students, bring to the organisation,’ said Matthew O’Leary, final year BCII and business student.

 But IIP is more than just a learning experience for undergraduate students.

Industry partners work closely with a multidisciplinary team for twelve weeks on a wicked problem important to the organisational strategy.

As part of their project journey, the student team working with Aurecon interviewed more than 20 internal stakeholders. And when San Martin connected with each stakeholder after the interviews, he was met with praise.

‘Every single person said how impressed they were with the student's quality of thinking. Seeing the calibre of these students helps with continuous improvement. It gives [Aurecon employees] the opportunity to reflect on the challenge and their own exploration of it,’ he said.

A benefit of engaging with this project is exposing the broader organisation to fresh ideas and transdisciplinary teamwork. By giving the students time out of their day, each stakeholder gave themselves the time to think about the problem space.

On a personal level, San Martin described his weekly meetings with the student team as his calibration point.

‘No matter what happened that week, or what was going to happen, it was my recharge moment,’ he said.  

A long-standing relationship

2022 marked the sixth year of Aurecon being an industry partner in IIP, and when asked why the organisation continues to engage, San Martin explained it was a testament to the valuable outcomes they get by working with student teams each year.

‘My reflection is that we get to experience what the university students are currently exploring. Why do we keep coming back? We’re hungry for more,’ he said.

‘And it’s fun. The level of engagement, the depth of exploration and the co-creation I got to experience – it's exactly what I want to have in my teams.’

But San Martin’s commitment and enthusiasm this year also elevated the student experience.

‘What surprised me was how willing they were to be a part of the project if you were kind, curious and open, and respectful. So it's how well you treat them determines how much you can get from the experience,’ said Emma Ramsey, a final year BCII and communications student.

Talking with the student team and San Martin, it was clear to us that they built a partnership centred around trust, openness, and communication, ultimately maximising the individual and collective value of the engagement.

Why do we keep coming back? We’re hungry for more.

– Daniel San Martin, innovation partner at Aurecon

Next steps

The outcome of this project was a playbook that touches on key themes underlying the shift from linearity to circularity. The playbook explains the current context, providing provocations that help individuals and teams consider the best approach to tackle the problem.