Conference session

The complex problems addressed in social innovation work require multifaceted interdisciplinary research teams working creatively. Complex collaborations present both opportunities and challenges. This session focuses on the value of interdisciplinary research in complex problem-solving, involving creativity, design thinking, and social innovation. The purpose of this session is to discuss lessons learned in social innovation research and advocate for the inclusion of creatives in interdisciplinary teams. This work highlights the value of artists in educational research to take up innovative approaches to educational research. There is a potential role in adult education for artists, art educators, and researchers to work as interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary collaborators to build capacities for creative thinking and innovation to address social problems. While artists are not more creative than non-artists, the artistic process, by nature, allows for an intimate understanding of creativity and one that is well-tread in self-generation, metacognition, and thematic coherence. These embedded, highly developed attributes can help interdisciplinary research teams find novel solutions to complex social problems. This research presentation also includes a creative activity to think about and discuss these concepts with both hands and minds.