Overview
The Collaboratory (aka CoLab) is an interdisciplinary collective of scholars, led by Dr. Kathryn Plaisance, working together to study collaboration and knowledge flow across disciplines. Our members include collaborators from across Canada and the U.S., representing philosophy, rhetoric, writing studies, psychology, sociology, biology, science and technology studies (STS), and interdisciplinary studies.
Our research examines how collaborations start, what types of challenges arise, the ways collaborators address those challenges, and the benefits of bringing together diverse perspectives. We offer actionable advice for improving collaborative processes and outcomes, and for fostering more fruitful interactions.
CoLab originated in the Department of Knowledge Integration at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada (now a part of the School of Resources, Environment, and Sustainability). Knowledge Integration, also known as ‘KI", is an interdisciplinary undergraduate program that teaches students how to collaborate across disciplinary boundaries and in diverse teams.
Our Philosophy
Our research is driven by the idea that diversity can lead to better outcomes. Diverse perspectives can make knowledge more objective, trustworthy, and useful — as well as generate more innovative ideas (e.g., Longino 1990; Grasswick 2010; Phillips 2014; Page 2017). However, the presence of diverse perspectives alone is insufficient. Collaborations must actively include different ideas and approaches (Fehr 2011).
CoLab embodies this approach by integrating collaborators from a variety of career stages and disciplines – and by ensuring each collaborator has an equal voice. This leads to a genuine integration of knowledge, allowing us to generate innovative insights into the nature of collaboration.
We are committed to actively mobilizing our research through accessible reports and interactive workshops, thus increasing others’ capacity to make collaboration work.
Our Aims
Our research explores the benefits of working in interdisciplinary or otherwise diverse teams and the conditions that fruitful knowledge exchange among diverse groups.
CoLab has three overarching aims:
1. To better understand the nature of collaboration itself, including:
- how collaborations are initiated and sustained
- what barriers and challenges collaborators face
- which strategies are effective in overcoming those challenges
- what benefits arise from interacting with those who have diverse expertise and experience
2. To raise awareness about the benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration
3. To offer actionable advice for improving collaborative processes and outcomes
Our Methods and Approach
Our research team uses a combination of theoretical and empirical approaches. We draw on philosophical tools of conceptual analysis and sociological frameworks on the nature of expertise to develop our understanding of knowledge flow across disciplines. We also use quantitative and qualitative methods (e.g., surveys and semi-structured interviews) to study cross-disciplinary collaborations so we can trace broader trends and dig into the particulars of how and why collaborations work (or don’t!).
Our research cross-pollinates and advances research in multiple fields, such as philosophy of science, science and technology studies (STS), and the Science of Team Science (SciTS).
As advocates of diverse collaboration, we want our research to work for others. We pay particular attention to how our research can inform best practices for research teams, what education and training would enable researchers to be effective collaborators, and how those interested in collaboration can get started.
Research Themes
CoLab has several interconnected research themes, which examine interdisciplinary collaboration, engagement with diverse stakeholders, and best practices for teaching others how to become more effective team members.
One of our main goals is to foster engagement between the humanities and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), bridging what C.P. Snow called the “Two Cultures Divide.” As our research demonstrates, these broad interdisciplinary interactions can produce more objective, innovative, and responsible research.
Key areas of research include:
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Philosophy-STEM collaborations
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Interdisciplinary & interactional expertise
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Engaged philosophy of science
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Scholarship of teaching and learning
For more information about our research projects, see our Research Areas page.
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