Interdisciplinary Projects Require an Adaptive and Agile Management Approach: South Florida Water, Sustainability, and Climate Project Experience

Lanier, Alicia L.; Sukop, Michael C.

doi:10.1061/9780784479865.019

Cited by 4 publications

References 4 publications

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Facilitating Integration in Interdisciplinary Research: Lessons from a South Florida Water, Sustainability, and Climate Project

Lanier

Drabik

Heikkila

et al. 2018

Environmental Management

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Interdisciplinary research is increasingly called upon to find solutions to complex sustainability problems, yet co-creating usable knowledge can be challenging. This article offers broad lessons for conducting interdisciplinary science from the South Florida Water, Sustainability, and Climate Project (SFWSC), a 5-year project funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The goal was to develop a holistic decision-making framework to improve understanding of the complex natural-social system of South Florida water allocation and its threats from climate change, including sea level rise, using a water resources optimization model as an integration mechanism. The SFWSC project faced several challenges, including uncertainty with tasks, high task interdependence, and ensuring communication among geographically dispersed members. Our hypothesis was that adaptive techniques would help overcome these challenges and maintain scientific rigor as research evolved. By systematically evaluating the interdisciplinary management approach throughout the project, we learned that integration can be supported by a three-pronged approach: (1) Build a well-defined team and leadership structure for collaboration across geographic distance and disciplines, ensuring adequate coordination funding, encouraging cross-pollination, and allowing team structure to adapt; (2) intentionally design a process and structure for facilitating collaboration, creating mechanisms for routine analysis, and incorporating collaboration tools that foster communication; and (3) support integration within the scientific framework, by using a shared research output, and encouraging team members to adapt when facing unanticipated constraints. These lessons contribute to the international body of knowledge on interdisciplinary research and can assist teams attempting to develop sustainable solutions in complex natural-social systems.

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Facilitating Integration in Interdisciplinary Research: Lessons from a South Florida Water, Sustainability, and Climate Project

Lanier

Drabik

Heikkila

et al. 2018

Environmental Management

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Agile by accident: how to apply Agile principles in academic research projects

Biely

2024

SN Soc Sci

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Sustainability science and sustainability transition studies are interdisciplinary fields. Interdisciplinarity is understood to support out-of-the-box thinking and thus facilitate scientific advancements. Interdisciplinary research projects dealing with complex issues might need project management approaches that support learning, adaptation, and innovation. Agile is a management approach that has been developed to facilitate collaboration, learning, creativity, innovation, and reflectivity. Due to these qualities, Agile might be a suitable approach to managing interdisciplinary research projects. Agile project management is still new in academic research settings. Only limited information about how to apply it in an academic setting exists. To fill this gap the Agile principles are translated to fit the academic context. The article then outlines how Agile principles can be applied to an academic research program, that did not consciously plan to apply this approach. The translation of the principles will permit other researchers to intentionally use them in their interdisciplinary research projects. Furthermore, other researchers can build on the insights provided in this article to overcome the challenges that Agile can bring.

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Exploring barriers to success for community-based organizations engaged in the adaptive co-management of parkland

Jerowsky

2019

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Interdisciplinary Projects Require an Adaptive and Agile Management Approach: South Florida Water, Sustainability, and Climate Project Experience

Cited by 4 publications

References 4 publications

Facilitating Integration in Interdisciplinary Research: Lessons from a South Florida Water, Sustainability, and Climate Project

Facilitating Integration in Interdisciplinary Research: Lessons from a South Florida Water, Sustainability, and Climate Project

Agile by accident: how to apply Agile principles in academic research projects

Exploring barriers to success for community-based organizations engaged in the adaptive co-management of parkland

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