Interdisciplinarity within an academic career

Abstract

This project identified academics who have been involved with interdisciplinary leadership initiatives and sought to find out what had motivated them, what issues they had encountered and how they had resolved them. A powerful message emerging is the central importance of motivation in interdisciplinary work. Interviewees spoke of leaving their disciplinary ‘home’ for a more complex and difficult – but often more rewarding – environment. Interviews also illuminated the impact of interdisciplinary work on academic careers and suggested that an academic’s career stage was a vital factor influencing the likelihood of pursuing an interdisciplinary initiative. The individual and systemic challenges brought on by interdisciplinary work highlight the role of structure and agency in an academic career path. These issues coalesce around reward systems, where there is a need to recognise the expanding role of academics within interdisciplinary contexts.

Keywords:

• motivation
• interdisciplinary
• leadership
• academic career

Acknowledgement

This study was funded in part through a grant from the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education.