Managing the wicked problem of transdisciplinary team formation in socio-ecological systems

•Wicked socio-ecological problems require transdisciplinary research approaches.•Most transdisciplinary research involves teams of academics and stakeholders.•We argue that forming transdisciplinary teams is a wicked problem.•Team formation exhibits characteristics identified by Rittel and Webber (1...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Landscape and urban planning 2016-10, Vol.154, p.115-122
Main Authors: Norris, Patricia E., O'Rourke, Michael, Mayer, Alex S., Halvorsen, Kathleen E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Formations
Forming
Landscapes
Lists
Strategy
Team formation
Teams
Transdisciplinary
Urban planning
Wicked problem
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Summary:•Wicked socio-ecological problems require transdisciplinary research approaches.•Most transdisciplinary research involves teams of academics and stakeholders.•We argue that forming transdisciplinary teams is a wicked problem.•Team formation exhibits characteristics identified by Rittel and Webber (1973).•We offer suggestions for managing the wicked team formation problem. Transdisciplinary teams are called upon to research and resolve problems associated with socio-ecological systems, which are notoriously wicked. We propose that the formation of these teams is itself a wicked problem. We support this claim by identifying in transdisciplinary team formation characteristics from Rittel and Weber's (1973) list of wicked problem attributes. We recommend a set of strategies for managing the wickedness of team formation, drawn from our experience in forming teams to conduct research on socio-ecological systems and the team formation literature.
ISSN:0169-2046
1872-6062
DOI:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2016.01.008