Student’s Name:

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Date Submitted

Contents

Introduction. 2

Advantages of interdisciplinary work. 2

Disadvantages of interdisciplinary work. 2

Student’s response. 3

Comment on the discussion. 4

References. 5

Introduction

Advantages of interdisciplinary work

Interdisciplinary work in academia refers to any scholarly work which involves an intersection of many disciplines in order to solve certain defined technical and social problems. Interdisciplinary work, according to this definition involves both the confines of the scholarly world and the ‘real’ world of government and industry.

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There are many advantages of interdisciplinary work when viewed from both the perspective of the real world and that of the scholarly world. First, it is an excellent way of acquiring, sharing and administration of knowledge in universities. Interdisciplinary work also helps people understand the importance of the university to society with regard to freedom of inquiry.

            Additionally, interdisciplinary work helps to avoid ‘cultural conflicts’ that exist as a result of the delineation of researches along distinct strands. Through disciplinary work, it is easy for a scholar to find the points of intersection of different disciplines. This enables researchers from different academic backgrounds and study interests to cooperate in order to produce research findings that are useful to society.

Disadvantages of interdisciplinary work

            The main disadvantage of interdisciplinary work is the problem of diversity, which is experienced when the normal scholarly process is fragmented (Vickers, 2003). This fragmentation entails the processes of synthesis, specialization, and recombination. This fragmentation becomes unavoidable when people reject Enlightenment universalism as well as bringing in of new goals. In some instances, the main cause of fragmentation is the need for program autonomy.

            Moreover, different interdisciplinary projects are increasingly being negatively affected by the effects of globalization. Globalization continues to challenge the prevailing organization of academic work. For instance, new ‘post-disciplinary’ and transnational movements continue to emerge, whose uniqueness arises from their formality and abstractness. These movements are replacing the traditional model of knowledge production through disciplines such as Anthropology and English. Today’s new IT environment also represents a major disadvantage for the coordination of interdisciplinary projects, as more and more seekers of knowledge continue to ‘grow digital’. Although these people are able to do interdisciplinary projects well in terms of technical aspects, they are unable to evaluate them in terms of quality, knowledge claims and trustworthiness.

Student’s response

Interdisciplinary work is responsible for the evolution of many sub-disciplines, for instance, Strategic Planning. This sub-discipline traces its origin in the military. Scholars found out this when trying to analyze, understand, and replicate the Napoleon Bonaparte’s astonishing military achievements. In its classic form, Strategic Planning entails the selection of goals and planning of activities that will enable the executor to reach them.

The Strategic Planning approach has also been applied in big businesses as well as by governments. In these areas, it has been transformed into Results-Based Management (RBM). The influence of interdisciplinarity is also evident in the way the Logical Framework Approach has developed by USAID (United States Agency for International Development) for management and project planning purposes. On a positive note, interdisciplinary projects based on Strategic planning can benefit from the powerful logic therein. These projects benefit from interdisciplinary relations that make it possible for fault lines to be identified.

Comment on discussion

               The course that I am taking entails use of elements of disciplinarity, particularly an interaction of the disciplines of communication and leadership. It is impossible to have leadership without communication. For this reason, I am confident that the projects that I will carry out using the interdisciplinary approach will be highly enlightening. 

               As an aspiring local government leader, I am keen to see how my thesis topic will shape up. I hope that an interdisciplinary approach will enable me weave together concepts like communication behaviours, attitudes, enthusiasm and their role in inspiring people and organizations. Therefore, I hope to be a better communicator, and hence a better leader, at the end of the program. 

References

Vickers, J. (2003) Diversity, Globalization, and “Growing Up Digital”: Navigating Interdisciplinarity in the Twenty-First Century, 3(1), 1-19.