How do we know who to include in collaborative research? Toward a method for the identification of experts

• Published in: European journal of operational research Vol. 216; no. 2; pp. 495 - 502
• Main Authors: Müller, Matthias Otto, Groesser, Stefan N., Ulli-Beer, Silvia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 16.01.2012; Elsevier; Elsevier Sequoia S.A
• Subjects: Accounting; Actor analysis; Applied sciences; Assembly; Biological and medical sciences; Boundaries; Collaboration; Collaborative research; Decision theory. Utility theory; Electronics; Exact sciences and technology; Firm modelling; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Iterative methods; Jargon; Ontology; Operational research; Operational research and scientific management; Operational research. Management science; Operations research; OR in societal problem analysis; Problem structuring methods; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Representations; Social conditions & trends; Social interactions. Communication. Group processes; Social psychology; Stakeholder analysis; Strategic management; Studies; System Dynamics; Terminology; Actor analysis; OR in societal problem analysis; Stakeholder analysis; Problem structuring methods; System Dynamics; Collaborative research; Terminology; Decision support system; Conflict resolution; Iterative method; Staff management; Dynamical system; Social cognition; Pragmatics; Heterogeneity; Structuration; Organizational models; Systems engineering; Know how; Problem solving; Diagnosis; System identification; Assembly; Firm strategy
• ISSN: 0377-2217; 1872-6860
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejor.2011.07.014

► We describe societal problem situations. ► Our terminology differentiates between individuals, actors and agents. ► Experts are individuals representing actors of a societal problem situation. ► We propose a method for identifying experts. ► We describe a collaborative research project. Collaborative research, defined as research involving actors participating in the problem situation under study, has an important role in operational research, strategic management and systems thinking. In a recent study, we found that a strong organizational focus incorporated into many soft operational research (OR) approaches is inadequate for studying societal problem situations, which are fragmented and have no clear boundary. Specifically, we failed to find a process of identifying individuals that is capable of representing the perspectives of actors and sufficient for research into societal problem situations. We found no clear terminology accounting for ontological differences between actors, individuals representing them and conceptual representations of acting entities. In response to this gap in the literature, we propose terminology that differentiates among actors (individuals or collective entities in the real world), experts (individuals capable of representing the perspective of an actor) and agents (ideal-typical representations of actors). Based on this terminology, we propose an iterative method to guide the assembly of an expert group to undertake collaborative research into societal problem situations. To demonstrate the application of our method, we present selected insights from our study in an electronic supplement.