Crossing Boundaries: Reflexive Analysis of Collaborative Learning in Research Institutions

Abstract

Researchers have increasingly looked at characteristics of learning organizations, which engage in constant transformation to facilitate organizational learning in order to remain successful. While much of this research has looked at organizational practices and the embedded social networks within and across private firms, little research has reflexively considered academia. Yet, professional interactions within academic disciplines that cross narrow research specializations are critical for the continued advancement of public science. In this study, we employ a sequential mixed-methods study design to establish a base of empirical research that is introspective of the collaborative research environment of academia. We first employed purposeful semi-structured interviews to understand the value academic leaders place in cross-specialization interactions and then collected questionnaires from which we conducted statistical and social network analyses to describe the characteristics of and variation within disciplinary interaction networks and the relationships between network attributes and perceptions of a positive, collaborative learning environment.