METHODS article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Organizational Psychology
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvancing Scientific Teams: Models and Practices for Enhanced CollaborationView all articles
Applying Theory to Practice in a Large Research Center: Creating and implementing tools for building convergence capacity in individuals and teams
Provisionally accepted
- 1North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States
- 2Appalachian State University, Boone, United States
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The continued expansion of team science underscores the urgent need for shared, actionable models that can be validated to support effective interdisciplinary collaboration in scientific teams. This paper presents a practice-grounded framework for building convergence capacity in large, multi-institutional research environments, drawing on insights from the Science of Team Science (SciTS) and Integration and Implementation Sciences (I2S). Using the U.S. NSF-funded Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability (STEPS) Center as a case study, we explore how integration expertise can be strategically embedded within leadership structures to design and implement evidence-informed toolkits and conceptual models that scaffold convergence practices. These approaches operationalize convergence through three interdependent priority focal points —scaffolding effective teamwork and group integration capacity, cultivation and management of boundary objects, and investment in the integrative capacity and professional growth of the individuals that make up the teams—each supported by specific tools, facilitation strategies, and team development approaches that align with established theories of collaboration and integration. By translating convergence theory into 1 replicable, field-tested practices, this study contributes to the development of team science models that are adaptable to diverse research contexts and challenges. We share how one example of a large research center incorporated literature-and practice-based convergence approaches into the organizational structure and research efforts from the onset of problem formulation and team formation, and we highlight how integration practitioners serve as catalysts—structuring processes, facilitating shared meaning-making, and fostering collective metacognitive awareness essential to interdisciplinary problem solving. Our reflections and observations in this manuscript emphasize the critical role that deliberate, resourced, theory-driven intervention can play in building the conditions for sustainable collaboration and effective knowledge co-creation.
Keywords: Convergence research, team building, integration, Wicked Problems, team science
Received: 02 Jun 2025; Accepted: 11 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Bourne, Cuchiara, Deviney and Hendren. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Kimberly Bourne, kdbourne@ncsu.edu
Christine Hendren, hendrenco@appstate.edu
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