Expertise Across Disciplines: Establishing Common Ground in Interdisciplinary Disaster Research Teams

Area of Science:

• Disaster science
• Social studies of science
• Interdisciplinary studies

Background:

• Hazards and disasters result from complex environmental and social interactions, necessitating interdisciplinary research.
• Interdisciplinary disaster research teams face challenges in communication and mutual understanding despite growing interest and support.
• Effective teamwork in disaster research offers practical benefits for operational disaster planning and response.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the role of expertise and communication in interdisciplinary disaster research.
• To identify strategies for improving collaboration and effectiveness in disaster research teams.
• To highlight the importance of understanding different modes of communication and expertise.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of social studies of science literature on expertise and communication.
• Distinguishing between contributory expertise and interactional expertise.
• Identifying key communication aspects: dialects, metaphors, and articulation.

Main Results:

• Interactional expertise, the ability to understand and communicate across disciplines, is crucial for interdisciplinary success.
• Effective communication relies on understanding differences in disciplinary dialects, metaphors, and articulation.
• Developing interactional expertise requires time, effort, and a foundation of trust.

Conclusions:

• Fostering trust and communication is vital for building effective interdisciplinary disaster research teams.
• Researchers can develop interactional expertise through various approaches tailored to their circumstances.
• Future research should focus on identifying best practices for enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration in disaster science.