Training specialists to solve wicked problems

By Vladimir Mokiy.

How can a modern university train highly qualified specialists who are able to rethink and unambiguously solve wicked problems?

Here I build on my previous i2Insights contribution Systems transdisciplinarity as a metadiscipline, the methodology of which aims to unify and generalize complementary and non-complementary disciplinary knowledge and methodologies. This metadiscipline provides the basis of a proposed curriculum for a two-year training program at the masters level. The intention is that specialists would be trained in systems transdisciplinarity using a single curriculum to ensure a uniform level of professional capabilities and competencies.

The curriculum

The curriculum involves the organization of training in four sections.

Section 1: This is devoted to substantiating the place of the transdisciplinary approach in the structure of academic approaches. Students will study the history of the transdisciplinary movement in the science and culture of modern society in the context of the main scientific forums for transdisciplinarity for the period from 1968 to the present. They will get acquainted with the particulars of the different world schools of transdisciplinarity and the forms of institutionalization of transdisciplinarity in various countries of the world. They will form an idea of the semantic potential of the term “transdisciplinarity” (meanings, forms, types and stereotypes), as well as the subjective and objective limitations that hinder the development of two main areas of transdisciplinarity:

1. “Transdisciplinarity of Science” as proposed by Jean Piaget, which highlights:
   • “transdisciplinary research” based on the interaction of specialists from different scientific disciplines, as well as on the involvement of representatives of civil society: businesspeople, politicians, administrative workers, etc.;
   • “transdisciplinary innovations in the university educational process”, which highlights improving interdisciplinary interactions through the use of various integrating factors.
2. “Transdisciplinarity as a science” as proposed by Erich Jansch, which highlights:
   • “transdisciplinary metadiscipline”, based on the unification and generalization of disciplinary knowledge through systems transdisciplinary models of informational, spatial and temporal units of general order;
   • “transdisciplinary subdisciplines” based on the unification of a group of complementary subordinate disciplines under the auspices of the concept and methodology of one leading discipline.

Section 2: This section examines in detail the history of the modern systemic movement, in order to balance the idea of the desire of modern science to integrate disciplinary knowledge through transdisciplinarity. Students will study the objective difficulties in creating a General Systems Theory (GST). They will also review the advantages and disadvantages of the modern systemic movement, compared with the advantages and disadvantages of the modern transdisciplinarity movement.

Section 3: Students are introduced to the philosophical concept of unicentrism (the concept of a One and only world), based on the philosophical views of the ancient philosopher Plotinus. This concept is the philosophical foundation of the meta-discipline “systems transdisciplinarity.” The advantages and disadvantages of unicentrism and holism are compared.

Section 4: In this section, students will get acquainted with the design features and characteristics of systems transdisciplinary models of informational, spatial and time units of general order. These models will allow them to gain practical skills in unifying and generalizing the knowledge of complementary and non-complementary disciplines, which are necessary to rethink and find solutions to the complex multifactorial problems of modern science and sustainable development of society.

Training requirements

The requirements of specialist training using this curriculum include:

• creating the necessary conditions for understanding disciplinary specialists on the theoretical and methodological basis of unambiguous scientific solutions to wicked problems;
• overcoming existing disagreements among disciplinary specialists, as well as differences in disciplinary worldviews and methodologies, as well as the cultural characteristics of different nation states;
• organizing international cooperation in the field of creating methods and technologies for solving wicked problems, taking into account the state interests of each country in the world;
• developing a scientifically based scenario of a new world order, within which the content and logical boundaries of state interests can be justified;
• developing ways to coordinate state interests, as well as offering non-violent “deterrent” technologies that can guarantee compliance with the principles of a new world order by all member states of the United Nations;
• conducting an analysis of the risk to nature and society from the practical implementation (or non-implementation) of unambiguous scientifically-based solutions to wicked problems, which the trained specialists will perceive in the same way regardless of where they are trained;
• using the trained specialists as facilitators in interdisciplinary teams of disciplinary specialists to study and search for solutions to complex multi-factor domestic problems;
• using the trained specialists as scientific consultants for those who make important government decisions in the field of organizing and maintaining harmonious international relations.

The availability of specialists trained in systems transdisciplinarity on the basis of a single international standard of higher education, according to a single textbook and a single curriculum, will ensure a uniform level of professional capabilities and competencies. This will prevent specialists from one country having advantages or higher scientific potential than specialists from another country when thinking about and solving wicked problems.

Next steps

Advancing this agenda requires:

• translation into six world languages of a foundational textbook on which the curriculum is based
• strong-willed university rectors to open specialized departments of systems transdisciplinarity
• existing highly qualified specialists to organize the educational process, by creating and coordinating the curriculum to the international standard required, while also taking into account national standards for higher education
• training the trainers (who will teach systems transdisciplinarity world-wide) at a specialised center at one university.

Does this proposal correspond to your thoughts about developing unambiguous solutions to the problems of sustainable development of modern society? What additions to this proposal can you suggest based on your practical experience? Would you and your university participate in such a proposal?

To find out more:

The table of contents of the proposed textbook is available (in English) at: http://td-science.ru/images/kart/eng_Table_of_contents_STd.pdf (PDF 137KB). 

McGregor, S. L. T. (2024). Russian school of transdisciplinarity as a metadiscipline. Universum: Social Science, 3, 106. (Online – open access): https://7universum.com/ru/social/archive/item/17087

Mokiy, V. S. (2023). On the issue of the responsibility of universities for achieving the results of development and continuous self-renewal of society. Universum: Psychology and Education, 9, 111: 11–16. (Online – open access): https://7universum.com/ru/psy/archive/item/15903

Mokiy, V. S. and Lukyanova, T. A. (2022). Prospects of integrating transdisciplinarity and systems thinking in the historical framework of various socio-cultural contexts. Transdisciplinary Journal of Engineering and Science, 13: 143–158. (Online – open access) (DOI): https://doi.org/10.22545/2022/00184

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Statement: No generative AI was used in preparing this i2Insights contribution. However, Google Translate was used to translate the original Russian contribution into English. (For i2Insights policy on generative artificial intelligence please see https://i2insights.org/contributing-to-i2insights/guidelines-for-authors/#artificial-intelligence.) 

Biography: Vladimir Mokiy PhD is Head of the Russian School of Transdisciplinarity (since 1990) and Director of the Institute of Transdisciplinary Technologies, Nalchik, Russia (2007 to present). His research focuses on creating the philosophy and methodology of a systems transdisciplinary approach as an independent scientific discipline.