ABSTRACT
The concept of multidisciplinarity is one that is grounded within a functionalist and systems based account of the social organisation of knowledge. Having delineated some of the discursive characteristics of the concept of multidisciplinarity, this chapter reviews some of the ways in which this concept was married to notions of teamworking within social care and health settings. 'Holistic truth' is viewed as approximating to a reservoir of multidisciplinary knowledge which can be tapped to provide holistic solutions to social work organisation and practice. The chapter considers the current way in which multidisciplinarity and team practice are currently thought about and argues that this is an important source of the problem. The concept of role is prominent in accounts of effective multidisciplinary teamwork and organisation. The precise means by which 'role' is negotiated is not specified, however the interactional dimension of 'role' suggests that communication and interaction are, from the theorists point of view, important.
