Integrating Science of Team Science in Human Resource Development

Abstract: The Science of Team Science (SciTS) is aimed at understanding and developing comprehensive, collective research and training programs (Stokols et al., 2008). Team science involves members from various fields, who come together to share their unique training and expertise. These teams work cooperatively to integrate their skills, knowledge, and perspectives into a single project (Little et al., 2016). Over the past two decades, however, there has been an increased interest in large projects involving team science programs. In order to promote effective team science collaborations that produce optimal outcomes, SciTS was introduced, and coined in 2006 (Baker, 2015; Stokols, 2008). The SciTS is especially effective in cross-disciplinary work – projects involving the integration of ideas and processes originating in two or more fields (Stokols, 2008).

The SciTS approach provides for convergence in shared priorities to find scientific, technological, social and policy solutions in a systematic and strategic response to complex problems. The SciTS can rapidly advance scientific and technological innovation by increasing transdisciplinary collaboration, research impact, novelty, productivity, and reach (Lyall et al., 2013; Uzzi et al., 2013). The SciTS can help researchers learn about new ideas, methods, and novel knowledge, as well as integrate the new information into their own work. A major outcome of the SciTS framework is the ability to include different professional perspectives to solve complex problems with transdisciplinary research teams (Krause-Jüttler et al., 2022).

Based on the SciTS framework, Science teams must incorporate one or more of the following seven features to address their particular research goals such as (1) high diversity of membership; (2) deep knowledge integration; (3) team size; (4) goal alignment with other teams; (5) permeable team and group boundaries; (6) geographic dispersion; and (7) high task interdependence (National Research Council, 2015). These seven features are incorporated in the SciTS four umbrella contextual factors that Stokols et al. (2008) defined as contextual influences on the ecology of interdisciplinary team science. These influences include:
a. Interpersonal dimensions (diversity, social cohesion, adaptation to changing task requirements, effective communication, hospitable conversational space).
b. Intrapersonal aspects (education and training, attitudes toward collaboration, preparation for the complexities and tensions in interdisciplinary collaboration, empowering and shared leadership).
c. Organizational, technological, and environmental factors (organizational incentives to support collaboration, organizational structure, breadth of disciplinary perspectives, technological infrastructure readiness and high-level data security and access, team members’ workspaces)
d. Socio-political matters (such as cooperative international policies, environmental and health threats/crises that prompt inter-sectoral and international interdisciplinary collaboration in scientific research and training, and the enactment of policies and protocols to support successful interdisciplinary scientific collaboration).

The primary purpose of this research is to further study SciTS. More specifically, we would like to study how SciTS can be integrated into Human Resource Development (HRD). HRD is a discipline with many cross-disciplinary projects requiring collaboration, yet lacks literature on how this can be conducted in an effective, conducive manner (Turner & Baker, 2020). Furthermore, technological advances demand a broader range of expertise that not only encourages, but requires collaboration across various fields (Hall et al., 2018) – an example of this in modern time is the introduction of artificial intelligence, and how it will impact countless sectors across the globe. As scholars and experts from various fields come together to produce new knowledge, challenges often arise related to their varying definitions, philosophies, methods, and procedures (Turner & Baker, 2020). Examining SciTS from an HRD lens can greatly benefit such cross-disciplinary, collaborative work in the field.

The main research questions that will guide this study are:
1. What are the challenges and opportunities in SciTS?
2. How can SciTS be integrated into HRD?
3. What are SciTS implications for HRD?

To address these research questions, the researchers will invite 8-10 members of SciTS from different universities to one location. Data will be collected through interviews and observation methods. This study is significant for two reasons: First, there is relatively less research on this topic. This research will contribute to existing literature on SciTS. Secondly, this research will explore SciTS in the context of HRD for the first time. The findings of this research will have implications to both HRD theory and practice.