Making process work visible: enacting facilitation in digitally mediated interdisciplinary research teams

What the paper says

Purpose This paper examines the practices of facilitators in digitally mediated inter- and transdisciplinary research (ITDR) teams. It addresses recurring process frictions in knowledge co-production by positioning facilitation as a distinct, practice-based role, highlighting the importance of separating process- and content-related responsibilities. Design/methodology/approach Using an analytic autoethnographic case study of an interdisciplinary research project conducted largely remotely, the paper explores facilitation practices through narrative vignettes, process documentation and digital team communication. A practice-informed framework grounded in agile and transformative facilitation guides the analysis. Findings Of the four key facilitation practices – guiding processes, providing collaboration tools, offering process education and maintaining neutrality – acting as a neutral third party was difficult due to limited separation between content- and process-related responsibilities while navigating tensions between facilitation and research. Nonetheless, these practices stabilized collaboration, managed affective dynamics and enabled alignment in digital and hybrid settings, where role ambiguity and invisible labor are prevalent. Originality/value This study contributes a refined understanding of facilitation in ITDR by introducing a practice-informed and digitally sensitive framework. It advances the literature on integration experts by clarifying the distinction between content and process responsibilities and demonstrating how facilitation serves as a boundary-spanning practice, which is particularly critical in digitally transformed research environments.