Abstract
Problem
Interdisciplinary collaboration is part of everyday life in most organizations. Many tasks within the educational and social work fields can only be solved in close collaboration between different disciplines. Nevertheless, we often see that the collaboration, instead of contributing to quality in the task solution, is experienced as difficult and fruitless.
This master's project examines interdisciplinary collaboration within an existing process oriented framework, Nyborgmodellen, and focuses on relational and procedural conditions, based on the research question:
What happens when interdisciplinary collaboration at a Tværsmøde succeeds?
Aim
Our aim is to increase the understanding of which elements contribute to the success of the collaboration, and thus get an idea of how this can be supported in everyday practice.
Method and theory
The project’s scientific theoretical approach is pragmatic, and data is generated through a transcript of an interview between the research team and three professionals from Nyborg Kommune. The hermeneutically grounded analysis operates within the field of communication theory and includes theory about process facilitation and conversation analysis. This allows us to examine the transcript in terms of what is said and how it is said.
Content
This project focuses on individuals and groups, although it is clear that interdisciplinary collaboration also makes demands on management and organization levels.
The analysis consists of a part that focuses on the professionals' own descriptions, opinions and assessments, and another part that focuses on the actual conversation during the interview. These are subsequently compiled in a conclusion.
Conclusion
The success of interdisciplinary collaboration is rooted in the dialogic qualities of the conversation, the dialogical space, and emerges in these points:
• That one acknowledges the professional perspectives of others through perspective awareness
• That through meta communication one makes one's considerations transparent
• That an agreement is established on how to understand the common third
• That empathetic and discursive dialogue forms part of a fruitful interaction
• That meta communication is used to constitute and stabilize relational relationships
Implications for practice
The procedural framework provided by Nyborgmodellen has limitations, as it does not point out the path to the dialogical space in Tværsmødet. This is not developed or learned through standards or manuals. More is needed.
If you take the conclusions of this project further, it points to organizations giving time and creating space for individuals and groups to develop the skills that enable interdisciplinary collaboration.