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Science facilitation: navigating the intersection of intellectual and interpersonal expertise in scientific collaboration

Author

Listed:
  • Amanda E. Cravens

    (Fort Collins Science Center)

  • Megan S. Jones

    (Colorado State University
    Oregon State University)

  • Courtney Ngai

    (Empowered Consulting LLC)

  • Jill Zarestky

    (Colorado State University)

  • Hannah B. Love

    (Divergent Science LLC)

Abstract

Today’s societal challenges, such as climate change and global pandemics, are increasingly complex and require collaboration across scientific disciplines to address. Scientific teams bring together individuals of varying backgrounds and expertise to work collaboratively on creating new knowledge to address these challenges. Within a scientific team, there is inherent diversity in disciplinary cultures and preferences for interpersonal collaboration. Such diversity contributes to the potential strength of the created knowledge but can also impede progress when teams struggle to collaborate productively. Facilitation is a professional practice-based form of interpersonal expertise that supports group members to do their best thinking. Although facilitation has been demonstrated to support group functioning in a wide range of contexts, its role in supporting scientific teams has been largely overlooked. This essay defines scientific facilitation as a form of interactional expertise and explains how facilitating scientific teams requires skills in managing interpersonal interactions as well as understanding how different types of disciplinary knowledge integrate in the creation of new knowledge. Next, it explains how this science facilitation expertise may be developed through metacognition. Finally, it provides examples of how scientific facilitation could be more widely incorporated into research by describing three pathways to expand the use of facilitation theory and techniques in collaborative scientific research: developing facilitation skills among scientists leading teams, using broadly trained facilitators, and using specialised science facilitators. The strengths and risks of each path are discussed, and criteria are suggested for selecting the right approach for a given team science project.

Suggested Citation

  • Amanda E. Cravens & Megan S. Jones & Courtney Ngai & Jill Zarestky & Hannah B. Love, 2022. "Science facilitation: navigating the intersection of intellectual and interpersonal expertise in scientific collaboration," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-13, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:9:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-022-01217-1
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-022-01217-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Corey C. Phelps & Ralph Heidl & Anu Wadhwa, 2012. "Networks, knowledge, and knowledge networks: A critical review and research agenda," Post-Print hal-00715591, HAL.
    2. Gabriele Bammer & Michael O’Rourke & Deborah O’Connell & Linda Neuhauser & Gerald Midgley & Julie Thompson Klein & Nicola J. Grigg & Howard Gadlin & Ian R. Elsum & Marcel Bursztyn & Elizabeth A. Fulto, 2020. "Expertise in research integration and implementation for tackling complex problems: when is it needed, where can it be found and how can it be strengthened?," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 6(1), pages 1-16, December.
    3. Gabriele Bammer, 2017. "Should we discipline interdisciplinarity?," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 3(1), pages 1-4, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Hannah B. Love & Alyssa Stephens & Bailey K. Fosdick & Elizabeth Tofany & Ellen R. Fisher, 2022. "The impact of gender diversity on scientific research teams: a need to broaden and accelerate future research," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Hannah B. Love & Bailey K. Fosdick & Jennifer E. Cross & Meghan Suter & Dinaida Egan & Elizabeth Tofany & Ellen R. Fisher, 2022. "Towards understanding the characteristics of successful and unsuccessful collaborations: a case-based team science study," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-11, December.

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