Enhancing multidisciplinary collaboration in higher education

Multidisciplinary collaboration in sharing knowledge and experiences has become more prominent within and between higher educational institutions (HEI) and businesses. This phenomenon is explained with the concepts of intra- and inter-organisational collaboration promoting innovations, efficiency, and flexible study possibilities (Meerman et al., 2018). Successful collaborations can be beneficial to all parties, as each member brings unique skills and resources into collaborative relationships that can enhance teaching, improve student achievement, and contribute to enhanced social capital (Mellin et al., 2015). In recent decades, organisational collaborations have also been seen as an approach for responding to complex societal challenges or wicked problems such as climate change, eradicating poverty or global pandemics (Lægreid & Rykkja, 2015).

Although some staff members in higher education have created and maintained close relationships with businesses for a long time, the scope of such collaboration should be expanded and developed. This was the idea behind the Cooperation in Education Knowledge Gateway (CiE Gateway) project, which explored different collaboration activities that educators are involved in and aimed to engage more HEI educators to embrace multidisciplinary collaboration. In this article, we describe the results achieved in our practice-based study conducted in the project on intra- and inter-organisational collaboration.

Intra-and inter-organisational collaboration

The literature on multidisciplinary collaboration in higher education defines collaboration within universities as intra-organisational and across university boundaries as inter-organisational (Meerman et al., 2018). Intra-organisational collaboration involves cooperation among various faculties, departments, research centres, and faculty members within the same institution (Tijsma et al., 2022). It fosters synergy, curriculum enhancement, cultural exchange, and motivates students by enriching educational programmes, for example, through interdisciplinary projects (Franco & Pinho, 2018; Zou et al., 2023). Despite its many benefits, intra-organisational collaborations can face barriers. These can include a lack of common goals and shared interests as well as diverse priorities in different departments that may lead departments focusing on private gains rather than prompting collaborative goals (Esteban-Guitart et al., 2023; Franco & Pinho, 2018).

Inter-organisational collaboration involves interactions between higher education institutions (HEIs) and public or private organisations (e.g., companies, NGOs, municipal offices) (Galan-Muros & Davey, 2019). Such partnerships typically provide mutual benefits for both partners and opportunities for students to get employment. The success of inter-organisational collaborations depends on several factors, such as, balanced dynamics between the collaborating partners, appropriate resources and mutual results of the collaboration e.g. new innovations and economic benefits. Additionally, deciding on the intellectual property rights is crucial (Rybnicek & Königsgruber, 2019). However, HEIs and external partners often face challenges that can be demonstrated, for example, in lack of trust, fear of knowledge leakage, and administrative and financial constraints (Kleiner-Schaefer & Schaefer, 2022; O’Dwyer et al., 2023; Rossoni et al., 2023). To overcome these barriers, effective communication, shared goals, and supportive policies are essential for fostering successful and sustainable inter-organisational initiatives.

While previous research has contributed significantly to this topic, further understanding is needed to better comprehend intra- and inter-organisational collaborations and their effectiveness in higher education. Our practice-based research seeks to answer the following questions:

• What kind of intra- and inter-organisational collaboration is implemented in higher education institutions?
• What are the effects of organisational collaborations in HEIs?

Methodology

The project partners from four European countries collected and analysed organisational collaboration activities to understand their importance, structures and benefits. A qualitative research method, utilising semi-structured interviews among higher education educators, was used to gain a deeper understanding. The key target group consisted of educators who already had experiences of intra- or inter-organisational collaborative activities. For data collection, a combination of convenience and snowball sampling methods was used. This involved selecting individuals who were easily accessible to the researchers and asking the initial participants to refer others with similar experiences (Naderifar et al., 2017). Prior the interviews, participants were asked to sign the consent form aligned with the general data protection regulations.

Recorded interviews were conducted via Zoom or MS Teams, lasting on average 45-60 minutes. Interviewees used either English or their local languages, and the summaries of interviews were translated into English for an analysis. The interview data was anonymised, and a thematic analysis was conducted, to identify the main themes, which were interpreted by the researchers (Braun & Clarke, 2012). In total, 34 interviews were conducted with educators from eight European countries (Belgium, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands). 54% of the interviewees were men and 46% women, from different fields, such as, Business and Economics, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Marketing and Design, Health and Social Studies, Information and Communication Technology, Education and Training, Mechanical Engineering, and Music.

Findings

Numerous ways to collaborate

The interview data revealed that educators in HEI organisations implemented various intra- and inter-organisational collaborations practices. This insight was used in the CiE Gateway project by publishing examples in the Good Practices Collection, where eight intra-organisational collaboration and 25 inter-organisational practices can be found. Various internal activities within higher education organisation have been taken place for decades, and this notion was confirmed in our study. HEI educators found interdisciplinary approaches across various fields useful to foster innovative learning. One example of this is the creation of an interdisciplinary programme that focused on sustainable transformation. (Good Practices Collection, n.d., p.15).

The participants in our study explained using many different inter-organisational activities in their work to offer their students possibilities to address real-life issues and develop entrepreneurial skills. Establishing innovation labs and start-ups, where students can create and run their own companies, are widely used among the HEIs. These labs often involve real-life assignments from industry partners, providing practical and hands-on learning opportunities. Some examples of this are a multidisciplinary living Lab (3ID Labs) to foster sustainable and social entrepreneurship (Good Practices Collection, n.d., p. 19), and a CorrensLab that focuses on transforming urban spaces to more sustainable areas (Good Practices Collection, n.d., p. 22).

Educators developed their pedagogies

The data showed that different collaboration actions offered educators many opportunities to develop their skills. They highlighted having potentials to improve their teaching quality, for example, by engaging in discussions about industry expectations. These opportunities allowed educators to bring flexibility in teaching and encourage interest in diverse subject areas. One educator mentioned that “University staff members should be able to see and focus on big pictures and approach issues holistically instead of focusing on one’s own specific scientific area only.”

Being involved in intra- and inter-organisational collaboration practices, educators needed to use different learning approaches and move away from traditional lecturing. Problem- and challenge-based learning were used to engage students in multidisciplinary tasks that address real-life issues in collaboration with local businesses. Other innovative teaching methods such as design thinking, co-learning, flipped learning, and learning by doing were used to promote active student participation and to emphasise teacher’s role as facilitator of learning. One of the educator’s pointed that “Students learn best when they are actively engaged in the learning process, thinking for themselves, asking questions, collaborating with each other, and having hands-on activities”.

Students developed soft skills and self-directed learning

The interviewed educators noticed that intra- and inter-organisational collaboration practices were beneficial for students in developing their generic and soft skills as well as self-directed learning. Communication skills were enhanced through activities such as preparing social media marketing material, offering negotiation pitches, and public speaking. Also, interpersonal and social skills as well as emotional and social intelligence, were developed in cooperative environments. Interviewed teachers had noticed students developing their proactivity, self-direction, self-confidence, and leadership skills as they needed to solve authentic problems within a diverse group of learners. Such tasks challenged students’ time management and conflict management skills but supported their analytical and critical thinking skills.

In general, the analysis of the teachers’ comments revealed that collaborative environments provided rich learning experiences that exposed students to diverse perspectives and real-world challenges, broadening their perceptions of the business world and fostering deeper engagement in learning. “When students were involved in organisational collaborations, they gained firsthand insights into industry needs and expectations. They were able to develop relevant working life skills, including entrepreneurial mindset”.

Success factors and barriers

HEI educators in our study discussed a great deal of success factors and barriers in organisational collaborations. Successful cooperation in education hinges on several critical factors. Shared values and objectives are foundational, requiring a balance between universities’ educational goals and external partners’ interests while providing meaningful opportunities for students. However, educators’ flexibility and a willingness to collaborate and maintain business partnerships are the key to success.

One of the key points mentioned by the interviewees related to the willingness for continuous learning. The participants pointed out that educators should have possibilities to develop their skills for organizational collaborations. This could be done, for example, by providing incentives and resources to boost involvement with external parties. Clear decision-making structures, top-down support, combined with interdisciplinary and student-centered approaches, enrich teaching and learning and maximize collaboration benefits. Effective communication and management practices are necessary to maintain proactive and authentic collaborative learning environments. These practices should promote an open mindset and an idea-sharing culture that respects cultural and language differences.

The interviewees also noted numerous barriers that need to be addressed for effective collaboration. They mentioned that aligning collaboration activities with company visions and addressing confidentiality issues can create friction. It was notified that educators themselves might create barriers, for example, by lacking practical experience of business collaboration or being reluctant to accept students’ ideas to complete some of their studies at work. More generally, the interviewees found that the lack of human resources, time, support systems, and financial resources limit collaborative efforts.

Discussion and conclusions

This research contributes to the literature by, firstly, substantiating that HEI educators implement collaborative practices in many innovative ways and, secondly, presenting insights into the drivers and barriers of such work. Educators are engaged in various intra- and inter- organisational collaborations by integrating multidisciplinary approaches in their teaching. Our study supports the importance of building and maintaining different forms of networks between higher education and industry, as they can become successful over time (O’Dwyer et al., 2023).

Our study corroborates the findings of previous studies on the range of benefits that both higher education and industry partners can achieve (O’Dwyer et al., 2023; Rossoni et al., 2023). We discovered that organisational collaboration was not only beneficial for students in developing their generic and professional skills, but also for educators to rethink and develop their pedagogical approaches. Educators used problem- and challenge-based learning, that orientates students to address real-life issues. Such approaches motivate students to engage and solve authentic problems while collaborating with peers and other team members. Educators who emphasise cooperation and interdisciplinarity in their teaching approaches, act as changemakers and as facilitators for both students and external partners.

Nevertheless, these results should be considered with caution. As with any other research, this study comes with some limitations. First, the interview data was collected only within selected countries in Europe. Also, most of the participants were gathered within partners’ networks. This limits the derived insights as they might not apply to different regions and contexts, restraining the research transferability. Secondly, as the interviews were carried out in different languages some insights might have been lost in the translation into English.

Overall, it can be concluded that organisational collaboration brings visibility to higher education organisations, offers innovative solutions to the industry and provides possibilities for students to expand their learning and working opportunities. Building and maintaining successful relationships takes time and effort but are necessary to understand each other’s values and to create common objectives. All stakeholders must be open and flexible in their communication to align expectations. Our findings emphasise the importance of organisational-wide support and broad collaboration with different partners to implement successful intra- and inter-organisational activities.