Challenges of interdisciplinary collaboration

Today’s complex challenges cannot be solved by working individually. Better solutions and innovative approaches to problems can be developed when different specialist units and disciplines work together. An interdisciplinary team lets experts bring their own perspectives, methods and experiences from their own specialist units, giving a more comprehensive view of a topic. Interdisciplinary collaboration is always needed when there are complex, multi-layered challenges to overcome. This could be when launching a new product or service, for example, where the research and development, production, IT, marketing and marketing and sales departments must all work together. 

Three big challenges of interdisciplinary collaboration – and how you can overcome them

Interdisciplinary collaboration has many advantages. There can be a kind of culture clash when people from different disciplines work together: people tackle different problems in different ways and have their own ways of working and thinking, making them perhaps not so used to working closely with others and sharing information in an easily understandable way. It’s a bit like learning to speak another language. As a result, there are often unavoidable problems in interdisciplinary teams. But what problems can arise in an interdisciplinary team? We’ve put together the most important problems and will show you how you can overcome them. 

Challenge 1: there’s a lack of trust

One of the biggest obstacles in the way of successful collaboration is a lack of trust in teamwork. In interdisciplinary teams this is an even bigger challenge, as people come and work together from completely different work backgrounds. When trust is lacking, communication amongst colleagues is not as open as it should be and mistakes may be swept under the carpet. As a result, there’s no constructive criticism, meaning there’s no opportunity for solution-oriented work. 

Tip: create a culture of trust

The team leader’s task is to provide a solid basis of trust for the team. Trust amongst colleagues lays the foundation for successful collaboration. Especially important here is a positive and constructive approach to making mistakes and giving feedback. Make an effort to promote a good team spirit and respectful environment. This could be by listening to and accepting differing points of view during discussions, for example. It’s clear that interdisciplinary collaboration requires a degree of flexibility from those involved. Something obvious or state of the art in your discipline may need to be reconsidered, changed or even entirely done away with. Set clear rules and values for working together and don’t be afraid of mistakes. Conflict is unavoidable, but good conflict management goes a long way in solving problems and minimizing any negative impact on the team. It helps foster continuous improvement and strengthens teamwork. Enable regular feedback, both from you as a manager as well as from your team members. Some questions could be: how do we get on together? How do we address our problems? How do we give constructive criticism? How do we communicate?

Challenge 2: there’s no focus on a common goal

One team, one target: if a team isn’t focused on a common goal, they lose sight of the end result. Each individual department’s interests can rapidly take over and all your team members will then fall back into a silo mentality, instead of working as one team. 

Tip: make sure the team’s common goal is at the center

Tell your interdisciplinary team members that you all have a common goal, one that cannot be achieved by going it alone. The goal should be clear and measurable. Ensure everyone has an understanding of the team’s goals, priorities and expectations. Also make it clear that the whole team is needed to reach the goal. This creates a bond for the team. It’s just like sport: each player needs to know their own position in the team and what’s expected of them. The clearer this is, the more motivated the team. 

Setting and measuring goals: what is OKR?

There are different ways to define goals. A very easy way is SMART. Agile teams increasingly use OKR (objectives and key results). Management methods help teams set measurable goals and bring these goals in line with the available resources. 

Challenge 3: efficiency is inadequate when working together

If an interdisciplinary team isn’t properly organized, it can’t collaborate efficiently. Inefficiency can create a negative spiral: with low productivity comes lower motivation and commitment, leading to conflict and tension. This leads to further delays, missed deadlines and ultimately failing to meet your goals. There are many reasons why interdisciplinary teams may be inefficient. In addition to the issues already raised, this could be because of the team’s structure or the availability of the necessary technology required to work together.

Tip: avoid inefficient team processes from the beginning

When putting your team together, make sure that they will work together efficiently later on. Identify and analyze what’s required before starting your project, and the specific skills and abilities needed to reach your goals. Make sure your team has a wide range of skills and each team member brings their own background, abilities and perspectives. This diversity can lead to creative solutions and innovative ideas. Find out more about what you should take note of in detail when putting your team together under “Questions and answers“.

Use collaborative tools and technologies, especially when team members work in different locations, to make working together easier. Appropriate tools allow your team members work together more efficiently and stay up to date. Want to learn more about virtual collaboration and remote work?