Theoretical and empirical perspectives on failure: An introduction

In this chapter, the authors begin by reflecting on failure in general before considering the results of a preliminary survey they have conducted on the incidence of failure in cross-disciplinary projects. They provide a brief overview of three key themes emerging from open-ended questions concerning how participants felt failure manifested in their projects. Key themes were categorized under three main headings: institutional failures, praxis failures and individual failures. In the survey responses, results which were seen as having arisen from praxis failure generally related to team members having insufficient skills to work in collaborative, integrative ways, or to a disconnection between the theory and practice of collaborative, integrative work. The chapter also provides an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book. The book provides recommendations and highlights lessons learned to help the reader in their own responses to failure in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary initiatives