Conception and Interpretation of Interdisciplinarity in Research Practice

Findings from Group Discussions in the Emerging Field of Digital Transformation

Dados Bibliográficos

ID10284544
AutoresJosephine B Schmitt (0000-0002-4689-3049, Center for Advanced Internet Studies, autor correspondente), Anne Goldmann (0009-0002-6058-5031, University of Duisburg-Essen), Samuel T Simon (0000-0002-0127-4498, Ruhr University Bochum), Christoph Bieber (0000-0003-0777-5063, University of Duisburg-Essen)
Ano2023
Volume61
Fascículo2
Páginas199-220
Data de publicação2023-02-25
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoMinerva (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0026-4695 • E-ISSN: 1573-1871
EditoraSpringer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1007/s11024-023-09489-w
PMID37192964
OpenAlexW4321769493
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas4
Referências citadas48

In recent years, we have been observing the phenomenon of an emerging scientific field: digital transformation research (DTR). Due to the diversity and complexity of its object of research digital, transformation is not effectively researchable if confined to the boundaries of individual disciplines. In the light of Scientific/Intellectual Movement theory (Frickel and Gross 2005), we wonder how interdisciplinarity could and should be mobilized to further advance the development of the field of DTR. To answer this question, we (a) need to understand how interdisciplinarity is conceived and (b) how it is considered in research practice by researchers in the emerging field. This is important, as scientists' application of interdisciplinarity will highly influence an emerging field, shape its growth, consolidation as well as its academic establishment. We conducted six group discussions with 26 researchers from different disciplines and career levels (PhD students, postdocs, professors). The discussions were studied with a structuring qualitative content analysis. The results reflect the vagueness of the concept of interdisciplinarity. Interdisciplinarity is largely conceived as multidisciplinarity. Further, the interviewees mentioned more challenges than opportunities when it comes to interdisciplinary DTR. The present study widens the scientific understanding about how researchers of different career levels perceive, learn, and practice interdisciplinarity in DTR. It further provides valuable indications of how interdisciplinary research in an emerging field can be profitably shaped for practice

Diversity (politics · Engineering ethics · Epistemology · Field (mathematics · Interdisciplinarity · Interpretation (philosophy · Multidisciplinary approach · Social science · Sociology · Terminology · Vagueness · Wonder · Computer Science · Engineering · Innovation, Technology, and Society · Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration