Research can be a solitary and even lonely experience. You spent hours collecting data and pouring over results. Many hours more involve writing up results in isolation. Even for an introvert, it can be a process devoid of interaction. Moreover, a researcher working alone loses the additional experience and perspectives to be gained by working in a research team. In today’s post, I want to offer 7 tips for collaborating on a research project. I’ve been fortunate to have more positive than negative experiences working with colleagues. I hope these tips will provide you with some advice on how to improve your collaboration not only on research, but any work you might undertake.
I am one of those rare Southerners that doesn’t enjoy NASCAR racing. It just has never been my thing. Yet, I’ve always been fascinated by the work of the pit crew. There is such a system in place that allows an amazing amount of work to be done in just a few seconds.
I think of research collaborations in the same way. You can do so much more, better, and faster in a research team than you can working in isolation. In many disciplines and in different methodological approaches, teamwork is common. As a qualitative higher education researcher, I often have the option to work on my own on a project or to work with a colleague.
Many times, there are enormous benefits of collaborating on a research project. If the team works well…
I have 7 tips to help you think about collaborating on a research project that will help make your team work better. You might not be as efficient as a NASCAR pit crew, but I bet you’ll have a better experience with better results.
1. Establish ground rules.
This is a key for establishing the working relationship between the team. If you can work out the details of the working relationship up front, it minimizes confusion on the backend. For example, what is the order of authorship? How many publications are expected? Can you work with the data collected individually as well as together? How will the work be divided up amongst the team? Establish how you are going to work before starting to work. This helps make sure everyone is on the same page.
2. Clear communication is a must.
In addition to setting ground rules, you need clear communication. Particularly if working with colleagues from different institutions where you can’t always talk face to face, practice clear communication strategies. It is amazing how many times relationships can be damaged by a lack of communication. Talk frequently, frankly, and openly to make sure that feelings don’t get hurt, expectations are clear, and all team members feel heard.
3. Set a schedule/timeline for the project.
When you are working alone on a project, you can adjust the schedule of a project to fit your own needs. When working collaboratively, you must make these changes in consultation with your team. Many of us are balancing multiple projects at a time. A change in one can negatively impact another. This is particularly true in those fields with grant funding.
Set a timeline for the project at the beginning. You can mutually renegotiate as you work on the project, but this starting place will help everyone know what is expected. Few things are as frustrating as waiting on a coauthor and not being able to do your part as planned. Even more frustrating is when a coauthor doesn’t meet the agreed time frame which then impacts your ability to get your work to other teammates. Even more frustrating than that is having a coauthor miss deadlines on one project then impact your work on other projects.
4. Acknowledge what you don’t know.
As faculty, I think we are less inclined to acknowledge things we don’t know especially in our area of expertise. One of the major benefits of collaborating on a research project is that your team has experience you don’t. Share areas where you don’t know or are struggling so they can bring their ideas and experience to the table.
5. Break large tasks into smaller ones.
This tip is good advice generally, but can be extremely helpful when working as a team. By breaking large tasks into more manageable ones, you can maintain momentum and more easily divide the work.
6. Have someone in charge to maintain momentum.
One of the biggest challenges that I run into on group projects is keeping up momentum. We all are busy and have many competing demands. If someone isn’t assigned the job of keeping the project moving, it often can stall.
When splitting up tasks, don’t forget about facilitation or underestimate the amount of time involved. Just keeping track of projects and sending reminders can be time intensive. Yet, the role is crucial for completing the project successfully and on time.
7. Give team members an out.
You should have a point or several points where teammates can gracefully exit a project. Often a project will become less interesting to a researcher or other projects will rise in importance.
Think of this like exits on a freeway. Unless there’s a real emergency, you shouldn’t get off the road except at an exit. Yet, you can exit whenever you want. Building this into your work will provide opportunities for team members to rejoin a project rather than feeling stuck. You might have an exit after a conference presentation or when a manuscript is submitted.
Obviously, this may vary a great deal by discipline, but you need to build in an opportunity for someone to leave without hurt feelings or letting the project falter. When you sign onto a project, you’re joining for a certain amount of time or work, not a life sentence.
Conclusion
Collaborating on a research project can be fun, more efficient, and lead to better results. However, if you aren’t careful, you can ruin relationships and not get the results you are after. Following these tips will help you avoid the biggest pitfalls and set you up for success.
