“Students’ Effective Collaboration in Interdisciplinary Teams: Constructive Compatibility Competence” – Roosmarijn van Woerden

A study is needed to fully review the competencies, skills and attitudes scientists and students need for effective team science in the future. It may require a more holistic or comprehensive approach in which a meta-competency that works on the ability of the members to deal with ‘otherness’ is formed and evaluated. The purpose of this project is to research such a meta-competency, and to evaluate its effectiveness as well as its usefulness as a construct. More specifically, it will 1) construct the meta-competency ‘Constructive Compatibility Competency’, based on prior research on group effectiveness, 2) design an intervention, in which students will learn (the first level of) this competency, and 3) assess the effectiveness of this meta-competency in team processes. This research may add to the body of knowledge by providing insight into team dynamics, the necessary competencies needed for effective interdisciplinary team work and practical methods for teaching these required competencies to students.

Roosmarijn van Woerden holds a Master in Philosophy, International Relations and Islam. Her research interests focus on interdisciplinary collaboration, group dynamics, minority groups in the Netherlands and Islamic feminism. She is currently working on her PhD thesis ‘Students’ Effective Collaboration in Interdisciplinary Teams: Constructive Compatibility Competence’ and has authored a chapter in Activism, Feminism and Islam : The Voices of Moroccan and Moroccan-Dutch Women.