Transdisciplinary Research - Working in Teams beyond Boundaries

Transdisciplinary research has a wide impact on bringing solutions to arising societal problems. The research involves not only the collaboration of experts across various disciplines but also non-academic stakeholders, which adds to the depth of the research. Transdisciplinary research handles complex problems that are beyond the realm of traditional research. Transdisciplinary teams, even though they face multiple challenges, try to function effectively towards a common goal. Transdisciplinarity is an ingrained element of social work and social work research. Social work, being a helping profession, can be equipped with knowledge from various disciplines. The emergence of social work may be rooted in transdisciplinary efforts. Fostering transdisciplinarity in projects and initiatives can lead to producing outcomes that can be used in solving social problems. Trans-disciplinarity brings forth a new idea, in a new way of approaching problems and generating solutions through combined efforts. There exists a need for the inclusion of multiple disciplines in projects of social nature.This paper looks into transdisciplinary research, its various parameters, process and its relation with social work.