working successfully across disciplines

reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme


Working successfully across disciplinesExperience from the Sustainable Uplands project


Plan

1. Sustainable Uplands: an interdisciplinary research project2. How I learned to work across disciplines3. Lessons4. Conclusions

05/03/23 2reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme


1. Introduction to the project


• £1.1M RELU/LWEC & ESRC funded project helping people anticipate and adapt to future change across UK peatlands since 2005

• Almost £1M co-funding from research users• Interdisciplinary team

of 25 people from 5 Universities & 2 NGOs

• Combined models & with local knowledge


• Video


2. My storyHow I learned to work across disciplines


The result...


• Findings featured prominently in evidence gathering initiatives used to inform policy: – National Ecosystem Assessment– EFRA Inquiry on Farming in the Uplands– CRC’s Inquiry on the Future of England’s Uplands– IUCN Commission of Inquiry on Peatlands– Government Office for Science’s Foresight Land Use

Futures project

Impact


Impact• Contributed to policy processes:

– Inputting evidence to a review, best practice guidelines and Action Plan re: Payment for Ecosystem Services as part of DEFRA’s Natural Environment White Paper

– Working with DEFRA to develop UK Peatland Carbon Code to facilitate private investment in peatland restoration

– Ranked no. 1 opportunity for business in the natural environment by Ecosystem Markets Taskforce and recommended to BIS, DEFRA & DECC Secretaries of State

• Used by water companies to justify using land management to reduce water treatment costs


3. Lessons


My eureka moment would have stayed by the toilets in the Chemistry building at

Leeds University, without the collaboration & trust of researchers from many

disciplines and the inter-professional network of Moors for the Future…

Lessons

“ ”


• Take your time – draw on your networks• Work with people you get on with

– Personality– How you view knowledge– Values and beliefs

• More important than expertise and seniority (to a point)

1. Build trust


• Invest in internal communication– Not just about putting the right people in the room– Need to build capacity: understand

each other’s language & approach

• The result: you’re communicating with each other, not just talking at each other

2. Communicate


• Who is conducting?• Establish clear roles & manage power• The power of good facilitation• Expect conflict & failure

(its how you deal with it that matters)

• The result: you achieve what you set out to do

3. Facilitate


• Different team members will want different outcomes: make room for as many as you can

• Quick wins (papers re: preliminary findings)• Delivering outcomes: follow-on funding & legacy• The result: a team & impacts that last

4. Deliver tangible outcomes


5. Conclusion


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, so you can deliver outcomes that

matter to people

“ ”


www.sustainableuplandresearch.orgwww.markreed.webeden.co.uk

Follow on:

www.twitter.com/reluuplandswww.twitter.com/lecmsr (Mark)

working successfully across disciplines

Education