3 min read
A Surfer's Mindset for Tackling the Worlds Toughest Problems

One doesn’t surf the wave - one moves with it. Don't go into conversations too rigid, stay flexible and open minded.

It’s late summer. The sun sits low on the horizon. I’m out on my board, fifty meters from shore. Waves roll in rhythmically, building slowly. I sense the next one is mine to take. I paddle, glance over my shoulder and get up. The board catches; I glide along the face of the wave. Suddenly the lip breaks in front of me. I have to adjust, carve around, find my balance again, and turn to the other side. 

A beautiful tunnel opens up ahead. I take it. For a moment, it’s just me and the water. Then I remember a day from ten years ago, when I was just learning to surf. Back then, I fought against the water, struggling to stay upright, trying to force my way through. But that day, in full exhaustion, a thought surfaced: Instead of trying to control the wave, I should trust it - let it guide me. Something shifted inside me. From that day on, my relationship with the ocean changed.

Now, when I surf, the wave shows me the path. Every change in its shape creates a new opportunity. And when I fall, I get up again. The fall is part of it. I learn. Not every ride is smooth - but every ride is worth it.

       September 2012                                                                          September 2021

 Like the surfer who learns to move with the wave instead of fighting it, transdisciplinary research asks us to work with complexity rather than trying to control it. This mindset becomes especially critical when navigating Wicked problems, which are characterised by not only complex science, but also the many perspectives, interests, and values involved. All stakeholders have their own history, trajectory and motivation (2). As researchers, it’s easy to approach such a problem with a clear framework in mind and preconceived notions of what roles other actors who hold power and/or are affected by the consequences (2), should play. But can you surf a wave before you ride it and experience how it behaves?

A modern way of thinking about transdisciplinarity would clearly argue no. Just as the most valuable moments in surfing arise through encounters with the wave and its changing behavior along the way, the relevance of research also emerges through encounters: moments of openness, friction, and learning where researchers and communities reshape each other. Collaboration, like a wave, cannot be mastered; it must be read, felt, and responded to in motion (1). 
Solving complex problems, then, is less about perfect technique and more about cultivating a flexible, curious stance: one that listens actively, adapts, and evolves with each encounter (1). That is the surfer’s mindset! Its is lived knowledge co-production and perhaps the most powerful way to find relevance in a turbulent world.

So before you press play and watch Clarissa Moore move with the wave, ask yourself: What would change if you approached complexity with the same presence, flexibility, and trust? 

[1] Klenk, N. L., & Meehan, K. (2017). Transdisciplinary sustainability research beyond engagement models: Toward adventures in relevance. Environmental Science & Policy, 78, 27–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2017.09.006

[2] Jacob Hörisch, R. Edward Freeman, and Stefan Schaltegger, “Applying Stakeholder Theory in Sustainability Management,” Organization & Environment 27, no. 4 (May 27, 2014): 328–46, https://doi.org/10.1177/1086026614535786.