Mechanisms and Outcomes of Science Facilitation
USGS researchers are studying how science facilitation can help diverse and interdisciplinary teams of scientists collaborate effectively and develop a common scientific understanding of complex challenges.
Today’s challenges are increasingly complex and addressing them requires collaboration across scientific disciplines. Scientific teams bring together individuals of varying backgrounds and expertise to work collaboratively on creating new knowledge to address issues such as climate change. Within a scientific team, there is inherent diversity in how people communicate, problem solve, and collaborate. Such diversity is a potential strength but can also impede progress when teams struggle to collaborate effectively. Facilitation is a professional practice-based form of interpersonal expertise that supports group members to do their best thinking. Although facilitation has been demonstrated to support group functioning in a wide range of contexts, its role in supporting scientific teams is not as well understood.
Researchers are investigating how science facilitation can influence the function and outcomes of a working group funded by the John Wesley Powell Center for Earth System Analysis and Synthesis. The working group includes interdisciplinary scientists working to synthesize what is known about coastal change, identify early warning signs of change, and improve our ability to predict change on coastal barrier islands. Science facilitators are designing and participating in in-person workshops that are part of the two-year scientific synthesis process. In this study, the team is analyzing how specific actions and behaviors of facilitators and other participants are linked to the working group’s success in achieving its goals.
Beyond waves and shifting sand: considering ecosystem processes in forecasts of coastal landscape change
Science facilitation: Navigating the intersection of intellectual and interpersonal expertise in scientific collaboration
USGS researchers are studying how science facilitation can help diverse and interdisciplinary teams of scientists collaborate effectively and develop a common scientific understanding of complex challenges.
Today’s challenges are increasingly complex and addressing them requires collaboration across scientific disciplines. Scientific teams bring together individuals of varying backgrounds and expertise to work collaboratively on creating new knowledge to address issues such as climate change. Within a scientific team, there is inherent diversity in how people communicate, problem solve, and collaborate. Such diversity is a potential strength but can also impede progress when teams struggle to collaborate effectively. Facilitation is a professional practice-based form of interpersonal expertise that supports group members to do their best thinking. Although facilitation has been demonstrated to support group functioning in a wide range of contexts, its role in supporting scientific teams is not as well understood.
Researchers are investigating how science facilitation can influence the function and outcomes of a working group funded by the John Wesley Powell Center for Earth System Analysis and Synthesis. The working group includes interdisciplinary scientists working to synthesize what is known about coastal change, identify early warning signs of change, and improve our ability to predict change on coastal barrier islands. Science facilitators are designing and participating in in-person workshops that are part of the two-year scientific synthesis process. In this study, the team is analyzing how specific actions and behaviors of facilitators and other participants are linked to the working group’s success in achieving its goals.