How to build successful interdisciplinary teams based on effective communication and trust. For notes pages, email m.reed@abdn.ac.uk. Presentation given at University of Newcastle, 4th November 2010

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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme
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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme
Building Sustainable Places
Learning from interdisciplinary research experience

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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme
Plan
1. Introduction to the project
2. A children’s story
3. Our story
All photos and video have copyright permission for use in this presentation
01/30/15 2
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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme

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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme
1. Introduction to the project

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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme
• 7 years (ending 2012)
• Sites: Peak District, Yorkshire Dales,
Galloway
• £1.1M from RELU and ESRC
• 29 researchers: Universities of Aberdeen, Leeds, St Andrews,
Durham, Sheffield & others with Moors for the Future &
Heather Trust
Building sustainable places by working
with people in uplands to better
anticipate & respond to future change

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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme
The Sustainable Uplands team:
University of Aberdeen:
Dr Mark Reed
Prof Steve Redpath
University of St Andrews:
Dr Ioan Fazey
Dr Anna Evely
Macaulay Institute:
Mark Sutter
Mike Rivington
Green = RELU 4th
Phase Project
University of Durham:
Prof Tim Burt
Dr Fred Worrall
Dr Rob Dunford
University of Sheffield:
Dr Christina Prell
Wirtschafts University, Austria:
Dr Sigrid Stagl
International Institute for Applied
Systems Analysis, Austria:
Jan Sendzimir
Moors for the Future partnership
The Heather Trust (Simon Thorp)
University of Leeds:
Prof Joe Holden
Dr Klaus Hubacek
Dr Nesha Beharry-Borg
Ms Jan Birch
Ms Sarah Buckmaster
Dr Dan Chapman
Dr Pippa Chapman
Dr Stephen Cornell
Dr Andy Dougill
Dr Evan Fraser
Dr Jenny Hodgson
Dr Nanlin Jin
Dr Brian Irvine
Prof Mike Kirkby
Dr Bill Kunin
Mr Oliver Moore
Dr Claire Quinn
Dr Brad Parrish
Dr Lindsay Stringer
Dr Mette Termansen

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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme

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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme
• Key findings: scenario films using stories to integrate
insights from different disciplines (at end or on DVD)
• Challenges and rewards of using interdisciplinary
approaches to build sustainable places in partnership
between researchers and
stakeholders
• Working with people from
alien disciplines isn’t
always easy...
Building Interdisciplinary Teams

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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme
2. A children’s story

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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme
Copyright permission for public reading from Harper Collins
Working successfully
between disciplines and
with stakeholders is all
about investing in
relationships – it is about
communicating effectively
with each other and
fostering trust

24. Working successfully
between disciplines and
with stakeholders is all
about investing in
relationships – it is about
communicating effectively
with each other and
fostering trust

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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme
3. Our story

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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme
Communicating with each other

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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme
Communicating with each other

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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme
Communicating with each other

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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme
Building interdisciplinary
capacity

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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme
This takes time and hard work.
Just when you thought you’d finished...

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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme
2. Trusting each other

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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme
Impact
• Inputs to policy processes e.g. via Defra’s upland
policy review, CRC’s upland inquiry, Foresight, NEA,
Scottish Government Rural Land Use Study, IUCN
peatland programme and consultation responses
• >£800K for 17 projects
applying project outputs e.g.
Yorkshire Water, Natural
England, DEFRA, Premier
Waste, United Utilities,
Lancashire Wildlife Trust

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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme
Conclusion
Working successfully
between disciplines and
with stakeholders is all
about investing in
relationships – it is about
communicating effectively
with each other and
fostering trust

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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme
A process of knowledge exchange...
RELU 4th
phases project:
• Understanding KE/KM processes
• Upland/peatland Research,
Policy & Practice Hub
A new way to do research?

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Rural Economy and
Land Use Programme
Contact
www.see.leeds.ac.uk/sustainableuplands
Follow us on:
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Email: sustainableuplands@see.leeds.ac.uk
Call or text on: 0797 428 6778