Transdisciplinarity as strategy: lessons from the Maine aquaculture industry, USA

Authors

  • Katrina Pugh Columbia University, New York, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8455-6273
  • Teresa Johnson School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, USA
  • Linda Silka Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine, USA
  • Nancy Dixon

Keywords:

Transdisciplinarity, transdisciplinary research, practices, aquaculture, strategy, Maine, USA

Abstract

Practice theorists and strategy researchers have argued for a practice-lens, yet this is a new concept for sustainability scientists and development actors who are rooted in traditional research paradigms. Practice-to-strategy emerged as a throughline for the Maine Aquaculture Hub, an organization established to develop aquaculture in Maine, USA. The authors observed a six-month strategy process where the Hub’s Core Team leaders engaged in sense-making about the aquaculture industry, go-to-market approaches, service-scope, and their own leadership. Transdisciplinary research was a concept familiar to the Core Team, and was even etched into the Hub’s mission statement. However, they had not expected to find transdisciplinarity permeating the Hub’s day-to-day work, namely educating citizens about aquaculture species, harbor-use, workforce gaps, and diversity. The Core Team reflected on the Hub’s approach to its work: acting through others (a network mindset), exposing and including diverse ways of knowing (productive conversation), and decision-making processes which were collective, scientific and narrative (strategic thinking). This three-pronged approach represented what we dubbed ‘practice-transdisciplinarity’. Practice-theory lies at the heart of practice-transdisciplinarity, as practice-theory combines diverse knowledge, systems thinking, and reflective processes as lenses into operations. Not only was practice-transdisciplinarity evident as the Hub Core Team reflected on operations, but it was also embodied by the Hub Core Team. Themselves, doing strategy-development. Practice-transdisciplinarity elements flowed into strategy considerations like open data, diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, and partnerships. The authors theorize that practice-transdisciplinarity is relevant where organizations’ resource limitations and policy constraints require inclusive design and responsive action. A self-conscious practice-transdisciplinarity throughline into strategy could help development organizations to surface hidden strengths and to develop strategy reflexively and inclusively.

Author Biographies

Katrina Pugh, Columbia University, New York, USA

Katrina Pugh, Ph.D. has taught strategy, collaboration and network science at Columbia University’s Information and Knowledge Strategy program for 13 years, and has a Ph.D. from University of Maine in ecology and environmental science. Her international development clients include the Asian Development Bank, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, PEPFAR, The Task Force for Global Health, United Nations, The World Bank Group and the World Trade Organization. This article is based on Katrina’s doctoral work.

Teresa Johnson, School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, USA

Teresa Johnson, Ph.D. is a Professor in the School of Marine Sciences at the University of Maine, USA, where she holds cooperating appointments in the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center and the Department of Anthropology. Teresa has published over 40 articles covering a variety of marine policy-relevant issues, including aquaculture. She was a Co-Principal Investigator of the Maine Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network and currently serves on the steering committee for the Maine Aquaculture Hub.

Linda Silka, Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine, USA

Linda Silka, Ph.D. is the former director of the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center at the University of Maine, and is a Senior Fellow with the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine. Linda has written over ten articles on transdisciplinarity, and teaches a course on it.

Nancy Dixon

Nancy Dixon, Ph.D. on the University of Georgia Learning, Leadership and Organizational Development faculty. She is President of Common Knowledge Associates, and the President of the US Chapter of the Academy of Professional Dialogue, and a Board Member of the Social Technical Systems Round Table. She was formerly on the faculty of Columbia University’s Information and Knowledge Strategy, and Director of Administrative Sciences, George Washington University. She is author of Common Knowledge, Company Command, and Dialogue at Work.

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2025-01-29

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