A framework for developing team science expertise using a reflective-reflexive design method (R2DM)

Effective integration and implementation of knowledge in research are dependent on team science expertise grounded in collaboration principles and techniques that advance individual and group scientific agendas. The Science of Team Science (SciTS) provides evidence-based research and best practices that strive to develop scientists’ collaborative skills so that they can work across disciplinary boundaries while developing strong and diverse teaming relationships. Identifying the motivations of those involved in collaborative teaming can contribute to maximizing team effectiveness and applying the knowledge emerging from understanding these to shape teams’ adaptation of a shared mutual learning mindset as a core tenet of scientific teamwork. In addition, surfacing motivations has the potential of helping team members examine their own needs in relation to their scientific and career goals. In this paper we draw from the domains of the Motivation Assessment for Team, Readiness, Integration, and Collaboration (MATRICx) framework, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs motivational theory, and The Team Effectiveness Model for Science (TEMS) to develop a Reflective-Reflexive Design Method (R2DM) that focuses on the development of intra-personal attributes within the context of a team. Approaching expertise development from this design method invites individual reflection in the context of group reflexivity to serve as the cornerstone of deep team science expertise. We used a design thinking approach to identify a framework that merges individual reflection with group reflexivity. The core questions we asked are: (i) What constitutes expertise to succeed in science teams? and (ii) How might we approach the design of learning engagements that enable the development of the needed expertise?