Rowing in the Same Direction Using MIX—A Tool to Initiate the Melding of Individual Disciplinary Experts into an Integrated Interdisciplinary Team

Martha E. Mather (), Jason Bergtold, Marcellus M. Caldas, Ethan M. Bernick, Trisha L. Moore, Gabriel Granco, Aleksey Y. Sheshukov and Ignacio A. Ciampitti
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Martha E. Mather: U. S. Geological Survey, Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
Marcellus M. Caldas: Department of Geography and Geospatial Sciences, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
Ethan M. Bernick: Department of Political Science, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
Trisha L. Moore: Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
Gabriel Granco: Department of Geography and Anthropology, Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona, CA 91768, USA
Aleksey Y. Sheshukov: Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
Ignacio A. Ciampitti: Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 23, 1-17

Abstract: A common problem for interdisciplinary sustainability research is that scientists trained in different disciplines are often not rowing their boat effectively in the same direction. Sustainability tools can aid the implementation of this team-melding process. Here, our purpose is to illustrate our M ulti-step I ntegrated graphical and structured discussion e X ercise ( MIX ) tool that transforms diverse disciplinary experts into an interdisciplinary team. We use a visual puzzle-solving approach based on the blind men and the elephant metaphor (BMEM) because this story illustrates the shortcomings of siloed viewpoints and the need to integrate multiple perspectives. Our six-step MIX tool provides step-specific objectives, group activities, discussion questions, and learning outcomes. Activities promote experiential learning for team problem solving. The step-specific structured discussions are designed to get each individual to change their focus from their own discipline (i.e., an elephant trunk, tail, leg, or other isolated pieces of the whole animal) to the team’s interdisciplinary goal (i.e., the whole elephant or the entire multi-faceted problem). In our example proof of concept, we show that a narrow focus on only economic yield (trunk), ecological conservation (legs), or human values (tail) misrepresents the biologically involved sustainability problem (elephant) and blocks innovative solutions.

Keywords: interdisciplinary teams; biologically involved sustainability; tool for sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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