The Effect of Interdisciplinary Translation on Individual Differences, Teamwork, and Productivity in Grant-Funded Teams
Open Access
Author:
Miller, Grace
Area of Honors:
Psychology
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Susan Simkins, Thesis Supervisor Greg Edward Loviscky, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
interdisciplinary translation interdisciplinary translator interdisciplinary teams
Abstract:
Interdisciplinary teams are important for working on grand challenges that require diverse disciplines and perspectives to solve them. One way interdisciplinary teams may overcome communication challenges caused by distinct disciplinary languages is to include an interdisciplinary translator role. An interdisciplinary translator is someone who is knowledgeable about the background, values, and context of two or more disciplines so they can fulfill the role of helping members to understand the language and jargon of another discipline. Although a promising idea, little research has been conducted. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to examine the effects of interdisciplinary translation on interdisciplinary individual differences, teamwork, and team productivity. We used interview and survey data along with archival data from interdisciplinary team members who were awarded an NSF-funded grant.
We found that teams who reported having a translator role(s) were negatively correlated with unidisciplinary orientation and positively correlated with interdisciplinary orientation. Teams reporting having interdisciplinary translation were also positively correlated with reports of transdisciplinary behaviors and collaboration outcomes like satisfaction, productivity, and trust and respect. Given these promising results, interdisciplinary translators should be used and valued in interdisciplinary teams. However, because this was an introductory study, future research should continue to examine the role of interdisciplinary translators in interdisciplinary teams.
