Transdisciplinary research on equity in the workplace

Transdisciplinary research (TDR) may be defined as an integrative research approach that transcends disciplinary boundaries and involves collaboration between researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders. It aims to create new knowledge by synthesising diverse perspectives and multiple forms of knowledge. In recent decades, TDR has garnered increasing attention from researchers and scholars in ER/IR and beyond as a methodology that is well suited to addressing “real world,” complex, “wicked” and sometimes transnational problems that require holistic and co-produced research that impacts beyond academia. This chapter overviews the origins, definition, historical development and theoretical foundations of TDR, before examining its application in ER/IR research. We then focus on a recent case-based TDR study of equity in Aotearoa New Zealand’s public service, using vignettes to help highlight its key features, challenges, and efforts to overcome them. We conclude that TDR holds much promise for translating research findings into meaningful, ongoing action that advances equity in the workplace; promotes innovation and research capacity by facilitating the cross-fertilisation of ideas and methodologies; and evokes much-needed critical reflection on how, what and why we research in ER/IR and connected fields of inquiry.