Optimising teamworking processes in an ongoing research consortium: a qualitative study

Health in urban development is one example of the increasing complexity of research issues that cross disciplinary boundaries, calling for integrated knowledge. Overcoming the challenges of working across disciplines is essential to understanding how to support inter- and transdisciplinary (ITD) projects and mitigate issues that stand in the way of collaborations aiming to contribute to societal change. The aim of this article is to provide qualitative evidence of the practices required to support the effective operating of large-scale ITD teams. This article draws on a UK-based research consortium that brings together expertise from numerous disciplines to collaborate through evidence-based interventions in the context of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the creation of healthier urban environments. Our novel approach combines qualitative and participatory methods with the principles of hierarchical process modelling. Interview data (20 interviews) collected in 2023-2024 were enriched through a participatory workshop with consortium members in 2024. Following initial thematic coding, processes and evidence of challenges or facilitators were categorised under three research stages. The findings emphasise that supporting the development of cognitive processes during the first stage is required to enable deliberation and consensus seeking during the subsequent stages. While the strengths of the mission-oriented consortium lie in motivational processes and relationship building, the drive to deliver impactful research was limited by challenges in cognitive processes such as the development of shared mental models. This suggests that large-scale complex teams require evidence-based best practice frameworks to guide the development and maintenance of a cohesive transdisciplinary (TD) team environment.