Collaboration Resources

Our Book:
The Toolbox Dialogue Initiative:
The Power of Cross-Disciplinary Practice
You can learn more about our Toolbox sessions, research, and history in our book! This first-ever volume presents the story of the Toolbox Dialogue Initiative, from its early beginnings in 2005 to 2020, highlighting where we have been, what we have learned, and what the future might hold.
It also describes dialogue-based exercises to increase mutual understanding and enhance the quality and productivity of crossdisciplinary work.
Publications & Resources
TDI Center and community conduct facilitated sessions using the Toolbox dialogue methodology. Each session provides data to further our research on the nature of collaboration, knowledge integration, and the role of dialogue within crossdisciplinarity.
Journal Articles
Malavisi, Anna, and Michael O’Rourke. “Global Development, Humanitarian Aid, and the Toolbox Dialogue Method.” Public Philosophy Journal 5, no. 1 (2023). View Journal DOI
Cwik, B., Gonnerman, C., O’Rourke, M., Robinson, B., and Schoonmaker, D. (2022). Building community capacity with philosophy: Toolbox dialogue and climate resilience. Ecology & Society, 27(2). View Article DOI
Laursen, B. K., Gonnerman, C., & Crowley, S. J. (2021). Improving philosophical dialogue interventions to better resolve problematic value pluralism in collaborative environmental science. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A, 87, 54–71. View Article DOI
Rinkus, M. A., Donovan, S., Hall, T. E., & O’Rourke, M. (2020). Using a survey to initiate and sustain productive group dialogue in focus groups. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 24(3), 327-340. View Article DOI
Halpern, M., & O’Rourke, M. (2020). Power in science communication collaborations. Journal of Science Communication, 19(04), 1–12. View Journal DOI
Bammer, G., O’Rourke, M., O’Connell, D., Neuhauser, L., Midgley, G., Klein, J. T., et al. (2020). Expertise in research integration and implementation for tackling complex problems: when is it needed, where can it be found and how can it be strengthened? Palgrave Communications, 6(5), 1–16. View Journal
McLeskey, C., Berling, E., O’Rourke, M., Pennock, R. (2020). The evolution of the Scientific Virtues Toolbox approach to responsible conduct of research training. In W. Banzhaf et al. (Ed.), Evolution in Action: Past, Present, and Future (pp. 535–550). Dordrecht: Springer. Request PDF
O’Rourke, M., Vasko, S. E., McLeskey, C., & Rinkus, M. A. (2020). Philosophical dialogue as field philosophy. In E. Brister & R. Frodeman (Eds.), A guide to field philosophy: Case studies and practical strategies (pp. 48–65). New York: Routledge. Request PDF
Valles, S. A., Piso, Z., & O’Rourke, M. (2019). Coupled Ethical-Epistemic Analysis as a Tool for Environmental Science. Ethics, Policy & Environment, 22(3), 267–286. View Journal
Laursen, B. K., & O’Rourke, M. (2019). Thinking with Klein about Integration. Issues in Interdisciplinary Studies, 37(2), 33–61. Request PDF
Kjellberg, P., O’Rourke, M., O’Connor-Gomez, D. (2018). Interdisciplinarity and the Undisciplined Student: Lessons from the Whittier Scholars Program. Issues in Interdisciplinary Studies. View Article
Robinson, B., Gonnerman, C., O’Rourke, M. (2018). Experimental philosophy of science and philosophical differences across the sciences. Philosophy of Science. View Article
Berling, E., McLeskey, C., O’Rourke, M., Pennock, R. (2018). A virtue-based responsible conduct of research curriculum: Pilot test results. Science and Engineering Ethics. View Article
Hall, T. E., Piso, Z., Engebretson, J., O’Rourke, M. (2018). Evaluating a dialogue-based approach to teaching about values and policy in graduate transdisciplinary environmental science programs. PLoS ONE. 13(9): e0202948. View Journal
Laursen, B. K. (2018). What is collaborative, interdisciplinary reasoning? The heart of interdisciplinary team science. Informing Science 21: 75-106. Download Article
Berling, E., McLeskey, C., O’Rourke, M., & Pennock, R. T. (2018). A New Method for a Virtue-Based Responsible Conduct of Research Curriculum: Pilot Test Results. Science and Engineering Ethics, 36(1), 1–12. View PDF
Steel, D., Gonnerman, C., O’Rourke, M. (2017). Scientists’ attitudes on science and values: Case studies and survey methods in philosophy of science. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 63: 22–30. Download Article
O’Rourke, M. (2017). Comparing methods for cross-disciplinary research. In R. Frodeman, J. T. Klein, and R. Pacheco (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity, 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Pp. 276-290. Download Article
Norris, P. E., O’Rourke, M., Mayer, A. S., Halvorsen, K. E. (2016). Managing the wicked problem of transdisciplinary team formation in socio-ecological systems. Landscape and Urban Planning. 154: 115–122. Download Article
Piso, Z., Sertler, E., Malavisi, A., Marable, K., Jensen, E., Gonnerman, C., O’Rourke, M. (2016). The production and reinforcement of ignorance in collaborative interdisciplinary research. Social Epistemology 30(5-6): 643. Download Article
Crowley, S., Gonnerman, C., O’Rourke, M. (2016). Cross-disciplinary research as a platform for philosophical research. Journal of the American Philosophical Association 2(2): 344. Download Article
Bosque-Pérez, N. A., Klos, P. Z., Force, J. E., Waits, L. P., Cleary, K., Rhoades, P., Galbraith, S. M., Bentley Brymer, A. L., O’Rourke, M., Eigenbrode, S. D., Finegan, B., Wulfhorst, J. D., Sibelet, N., Holbrook, J. D. (2016). A pedagogical model for team-based, problem-focused interdisciplinary doctoral education. BioScience. 66(6): 477–488. View Journal
Hall, T. E., Engebretson, J., O’Rourke, M., Piso, Z., Whyte, K., Valles, S. (2017). The need for social ethics in interdisciplinary environmental science graduate programs: Results from a nation-wide survey in the United States. Science and Engineering Ethics. 23(2): 565–588. View Article
Read, E. K., O’Rourke, M., Hong, G. S., Hanson, P. C., Winslow, L. A., Crowley, S., Brewer, C. A., Weathers, K. C. (2016). Building the team for team science. Ecosphere 7(3): e01291.10.1002/ecs2.1291. View Journal
Pennock, R. T., O’Rourke, M. (2016). Developing a scientific virtue-based approach to science ethics training. Science and Engineering Ethics. Available online. View Article
Robinson, B., Vasko, S. E., Gonnerman, C., Christen, M., O’Rourke, M. (2015). Human values and the value of humanities in interdisciplinary research. Cogent Arts & Humanities 3(1). Download Article
Hessels, A., Robinson, B., O’Rourke, M., Begg, M. D., Larson, E. (2015). Building interdisciplinary research models through interactive education. Clinical and Translational Science 8(6): 793–799. Download Article
Donovan, S. M., O’Rourke, M., Looney, C. (2015). “Your hypothesis or mine? Terminological and conceptual variation across disciplines.” SAGE Open. 5(2): 1-13. Download Article
O’Rourke, M., Crowley, S., Gonnerman, C. (2015). “On the nature of cross-disciplinary integration: A philosophical framework.” Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences. Available online. Download Article
Fisher, E., O’Rourke, M., Evans, R., Kennedy, E. B., Gorman, M. E. “Mapping the integrative field: taking stock of socio-technical collaboration.” (2015). Journal of Responsible Innovation. Download Article
Knowlton, J. L., Halvorsen, K. E., Handler, R. M., O’Rourke, M. (2014). “Teaching interdisciplinary sustainability science teamwork skills to graduate students using in-person and web-based interactions.” Sustainability 6(12): 9428-9440. Download Article
Hall, T. E., O’Rourke, M. (2014). “Responding to communication challenges in transdisciplinary sustainability science.” In K. Huutoniemi & P. Tapio (Eds.), Heuristics for Transdisciplinary Sustainability Studies: Solution-oriented Approaches to Complex Problems. Oxford: Routledge. Download Article
Williams, C., O’Rourke, M., Eigenbrode, S. D., O’Loughlin, I., Crowley, S. (2013). Williams, C., O’Rourke, M., Eigenbrode, S. D., O’Loughlin, I., Crowley, S. (2013). “Using bibliometrics to support the facilitation of cross-disciplinary communication.” Journal of the American Society of Information Science and Technology 64(9): 1768-1779. Download Article
O’Rourke, M. (2013). “Philosophy as a theoretical foundation for I2S.” In G. Bammer, Disciplining Interdisciplinarity: Integration and Implementation Sciences for Researching Complex Real-World Problems, Canberra: ANU E Press. Download Article
Schnapp, L. M., Rotschy, L., Hall, T. E., Crowley, S., O’Rourke, M. (2012). “How to talk to strangers: Facilitating knowledge sharing within translational health teams with the Toolbox dialogue method.” Translational Behavioral Medicine, 2(4): 469-479. Download Article
O’Rourke, M., Crowley, S. (2012). “Philosophical intervention and cross-disciplinary science: The story of the Toolbox Project.” Synthese. Download Article
Crowley, S. (2011). “NEH panel: A model for philosophers.” Complex Adaptive Systems: Energy, Information and Intelligence: Papers from the 2011 AAAI Fall Symposium (FS-11-03). Palo Alto, CA: AAAI. Download Article
Crowley, S., Eigenbrode, S. D., O’Rourke, M., Wulfhorst, J. D. (2010). “Localization in Cross-Disciplinary Research: A Philosophical Approach,” Multilingual, 114. Download Article
Eigenbrode, S.D., O’Rourke, M., Wulfhorst, J.D., Althoff, D.M., Goldberg, C.S., Merrill, K., Morse W., Nielsen-Pincus, M., Stephens, J., Winowiecki, L., Bosque-Pérez, N. (2007). “Employing Philosophical Dialogue in Collaborative Science.” (2007). Bioscience 57(1):55-64. Download Article
Other Resources
Bennett, L. M., O’Rourke, M., and Cardenas, E. (2022). Collaboration Agreement Template. View Presentation Details
Malavisi, A. The Toolbox Dialogue Initiative and Development Practice in Global Development, Ethics and Epistemic Injustice: Rethinking Theory and Practice, Rowman & Littlefield, forthcoming November 2022. View Book DOI
Robinson, Brian and O’Rouke Michael. “Toolbox Dialogues in the Classroom for Engagement and Epistemic Integration.” American Philosophical Association Pacific Division Annual Meeting, (2021). View Presentation
O’Rourke, M., Crowley, S., Eigenbrode, S. D., Vasko, S. E. (2021). Failure and what to do next: Lessons from the Toolbox Dialogue Initiative. In D. Fam and M. O’Rourke (Eds.), Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Failures: Lessons Learned from Cautionary Tales (pp. 97–113). London: Routledge. View Book DOI
Hubbs, G., O’Rourke, M., & Orzack, S.H. (Eds.). (2020). The Toolbox Dialogue Initiative: The Power of Cross-Disciplinary Practice (1st ed.). CRC Press. View Book DOI
O’Rourke, M., Crowley, S., Laursen, B. K., Robinson, B., Vasko, S. E. (2019). Disciplinary diversity in teams, integrative approaches from unidisciplinarity to transdisciplinarity. In K. L. Hall, A. L. Vogel, and R. T. Croyle (Eds.), Advancing Social and Behavioral Health Research through Cross-Disciplinary Team Science: Principles for Success (pp. 21–46). Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer. Download Chapter
O’Rourke, M., Hall, T. E., Boll, J., Cosens, B., Dietz, T., Engebretson, J., Goralnik, L., Piso, Z., Valles, S., Whyte, K. (2018). Values and responsibility in interdisciplinary environmental science: A dialogue-based curriculum for ethics education. Online curriculum available at eese.msu
Gonnerman, C., O’Rourke, M., Crowley, S. J., Hall, T. E. (2015). “Discovering philosophical assumptions that guide action research: The reflexive Toolbox approach.” In H. Bradbury Huang and P. Reason (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Action Research, 3rd edition. Find Book
O’Rourke, M., Crowley, S., Eigenbrode, S. D., Wulfhorst, J. D. (2013). “Enhancing Communication and Collaboration in Interdisciplinary Research.” Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. View Book
Looney, C., Donovan, S., O’Rourke, M., Crowley, S., Eigenbrode, S. D., Rotschy, L., Bosque-Pérez, N. A., Wulfhorst, J. D. (2013). “Seeing through the eyes of collaborators: Using Toolbox workshops to enhance cross-disciplinary communication.” In M. O’Rourke, S. Crowley, S. D. Eigenbrode, and J. D., Wulfhorst (eds.) Enhancing Communication and Collaboration in Interdisciplinary Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Download Presentation