Sustainable Solutions to ‘Complex Problem-Solving’ A Key to Effective Community and Industry Engagement and Partnerships by University Researchers

Abstract

<span id="tinymce" class="mceContentBody " dir="ltr">Community and industry engagement by universities and academics are sometimes prone <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">to accusations of exclusive or academic ‘talk<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">-<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">fests’ which can <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">reinforce rather than resolve <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">the ‘bridgeable disconnect’ between the general community and particular organizations with <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">vested interests (Grayson, 2010). <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">Concrete modes and strategies of ‘linking knowledge to <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">action’ are needed to build upon the partic<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">ipatory exchange or mediation of stakeholder <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">perspectives and interests. This paper reports on the exploration, development and <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">application of the kind of convergent and also interdisciplinary approach to development <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">studies which might: (a) better link theory and practice as a basis for the elusive goal of <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">strategic ‘sustainability’, and (b) also encourage and optimize authentic, collaborative, and <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">complex modes of problem-solving as a key to community and industry engagement by <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">academic institutions and researchers. It will do so in relation to some practical case studies <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">in such partnerships.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>