A Transdisciplinary Research Model Through Knowledge Co-production in Complex Sociotechnical Systems

Abstract

This paper presents the transdisciplinary research and conceptual model adopted by the projects developed within the research center HFACTORS – Human Factors and Resilience Research Center. Transdisciplinary research produces knowledge with workers, be they leaders or sharp-end professionals, and within the company, as it seeks to understand the daily demands without imposing pre-defined solutions. In this sense, a transdisciplinary research model aims to integrate and co-produce “actionable knowledge” to face challenges and complex problems where disciplines alone are no longer enough. This paper shows how the HFACTORS Center seeks to implement a multi-perspective approach to its interventions, transcending disciplinary boundaries, co-producing knowledge, and connecting scientific knowledge with everyday practice. Such an approach requires multiple ways of working, developing strategies, and creating tools and spaces for co-production where different teams can work and interact. Interaction can occur on various levels and allows both the co-creation and co-production of narratives, solutions, and negotiations, as well as the prototyping of ideas and learning from integrating knowledge (scientific and applied). Therefore, we present the HFACTORS research model, describing the strategies and mechanisms used to develop processes of transdisciplinary knowledge co-production aligned with a Human Factors perspective, its implementation challenges and future research opportunities.