Reasoning and Problem-Solving in Disciplinarily Diverse Teams: Implications for Research and Practice

In light of recent technological, scientific, and medical innovations our societies have seen as an outcome of interdisciplinary teamwork, the study of reasoning within these teams has received heightened attention in the literature. Prior syntheses have been published on interdisciplinary teamwork. However, no reviews have systematically investigated reasoning and thinking as they occur in disciplinarily diverse teams. Thus, this systematic review was conducted to examine the literature addressing reasoning and thinking processes within these teams and how thinking and reasoning processes interact with problem characteristics. Forty documents were identified and synthesized, involving over 1,400 individuals engaged in interdisciplinary teamwork. The findings indicate that task characteristics, domain expertise, and the reasoning and thinking that underlie decision-making may shape how interdisciplinary teams approach and resolve problems. These insights highlight the cognitive complexity of interdisciplinary collaboration and suggest directions for future research on how reasoning processes support effective teamwork.