1. Interdisciplinary working
UCL Centre for behaviour change
Director: Prof Susan Michie
Interdisciplinary working
Susan Michie
Professor of Health Psychology, UCL
@SusanMichie

2. Benefits of multidisciplinarity
Multi-, Cross-, Inter-, Trans-disciplinarity
Each discipline brings own
Theories and models
Methods
Body of evidence
This provides part of the picture – but the big issues of the day need many lenses on them e.g.
a productive economy
social justice, including equitable resources
sustaining our environment
implementing research evidence ….

3. What does good interdisciplinary work look like?
Productive outcome: The whole is greater than the sum of the parts
Problems solved
Greater impact
Productive process: All disciplines learn from each other
New ways of thinking and doing
New reflections on own discipline
Rewarding experience: People enjoy the interactions

4. What is needed to make it work?
Behaviour change e.g.
Listen to others and show interest and engagement
Respect and don’t put others down
Seek to understand others’ goals and agendas, and ways of working
Speak in language that others can understand
Negotiate e.g. shared goals, methods of working
If don’t understand or agree, seek to find out why and take the time to educate oneself

5. For behaviour to occur, requires an interaction between three necessary conditions (COM-B model)
Michie et al (2011) Implementation Science

6. How to achieve this? Capability Opportunity Motivation
Training, mentorship
Opportunity
Provide structures and time for learning and collective thinking
Motivation
Seeing the point; aligned incentives

7. UCL’s Grand Challenges
Cultivate cross-disciplinary collaborations to explore joined-up solutions in 6 areas related to matters of pressing societal concern:
Global Health
Cultural Understanding
Sustainable Cities
Human Wellbeing
Justice and Equality
Transformative Technology