Impactful interdisciplinarity

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.60733/PMGR.2026.01

Keywords:

Interdisciplinarity, Trade-offs, Interdisciplinary collaboration, Interdisciplinary teaching, Interdisciplinary careers

Abstract

In this editorial, we reflect on the trade-offs associated with interdisciplinarity. We discuss several benefits, as well as various costs and risks. We elaborate on three scopes of interdisciplinarity: (1) interdisciplinary teaching, (2) interdisciplinary research collaborations and teams, and (3) interdisciplinary profiles and careers. We conclude with recommendations for (early-career) scholars, university management, research funders, as well as authors of articles in Public Management and Governance Review.

Author Biographies

Jurgen Willems, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business

Jurgen Willems is professor for Public Management & Governance at the WU Vienna University of Economics and Business. He is also academic director of the Executive MBA program on Healthcare Management at the WU Executive Academy. His teaching covers various management topics, including Organizational Behavior, Management & Digital Transformation, and Public and Nonprofit Governance. His research covers a variety of topics on citizen-state and citizen-society interactions.

Lisa Hohensinn, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business

Lisa Hohensinn is associate professor in the Institute for Public Management and Governance, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria. She received her habilitation degree in business administration from WU Vienna and her doctoral degree in business administration from Johannes Kepler University Linz. She has been a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Stanford University, as well as a visiting scholar at Suffolk University Boston and at the University of Mannheim. Her research interests include digital government, government openness and transparency, public trust in the political-administrative system, and comparative public management. Lisa Hohensinn is co-editor of Public Management and Governance Review.

Melissa Mesek, Glasgow Caledonian University

Melissa Mesek is a Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, Scotland where she specializes in female entrepreneurship, gender equality coupled with public policymaking and entrepreneurial ecosystems in international contexts. Her broader research engages with questions of inclusive economic development, community-based research, and policy implementation, and has been published in leading outlets.

Tim Vantilborgh, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Tim Vantilborgh is professor in the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Work and Organizational Psychology research unit, of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He teaches research methods and evidence-based management. His research interests include employee wellbeing and burnout, social exchange relationships, psychological contracts, and temporal dynamics of workplace phenomena.

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Published

2026-06-10

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2026)

Section

Editorial

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