MED-news has heard many good words about how you as a leader work actively to make your research group work well together. I would like to hear a little about what you do in your group that may inspire other groups who are interested in working with their work environment.
"Can you tell us a little about how and why you work with the good interaction and team building (work environment) in your group?
A good working environment is based on trust and respect. To achieve this, it is important to get to know each other and talk about how we want it in the group. It is just as important to make sure that everyone is given challenges and responsibilities. That everyone feels important and that they contribute to the community. Fellows or postdocs have a common office and work together on joint projects. Everyone must also contribute to common tasks in the lab. We have group members from many different countries in our group and that makes it extra important to provide the opportunity to get to know each other better. We organize social events, have dinners with the group, lab retreats and so on.
"Do you think that it can contribute to better research results if the research group has a good interaction?"
"Yes, I am completely convinced that a good working environment contributes to better research results. When you have a good time at work and are confident in each other, it is easier to ask (and offer) each other for advice and help with the professional. Another plus is that the group members like to spend more time at work when you have a good working environment."
"What kind of special challenges have you encountered in terms of group dynamics?"
It will always be the case that you have better personal chemistry with someone in a group than others, which can potentially create problems if you do not talk about it and address any conflicts right away. We are clear that not everyone needs to be best friends, but that at work everyone should be able to get along and be treated with respect regardless of the group to which they belong (PhD, postdoc, Norwegian, non-Norwegian etc).
"In the pandemic, it may have been different than before?"
"The pandemic has been challenging for everyone in the group, especially for those who have family in other countries. We, who work in the lab, were still lucky that we got to come to work and tried to do nice things there (like waffles, shared coffee breaks, secret santa, Christmas calendar and more). I have also talked to and followed up those I know are struggling especially ?.
What does it take to make a group work well? And can you share examples of ?best team-building practice/ worst practice?"
We have actually discussed this a lot in the group. In connection with a lecture I gave last year, I asked the group "what do you think are the most important criteria for becoming / staying a successful research group?" The most important input to me as a leader was:
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Lead by example
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Recruit the right people
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Communication is key (also the difficult conversation)
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Clarify expectations
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Each person is different and have different needs
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Support and help when needed
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Trust and give responsibility
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Do not micro-manage
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Weekly lab meetings and bi-weekly project meetings
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Open door policy
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Good systems in the lab prevent frustrations
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Encourage collaborations and networking within
and outside the lab
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Attendance at scientific meetings
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Celebrate papers or other achievements
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Lab retreats
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Parties – cultural exchange
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To distinguish between private and professional gatherings during working hours and in the workplace. Partly to work more efficiently and respect each other's time, but also to maintain a professional relationship with each other during working hours.
– Worst practice: Generally opposite of the points above, but especially bad to put people against each other or talk behind someone's back.
"What are your expectations for working with the results from the ARK survey?"
"I think it is very good that the focus is on the working environment and work climate. We are in a competitive industry, both in terms of jobs (a lot of temporary nature with an uncertain future) and competition for projects / articles / authorship. This can easily create internal strife. Another potential challenge is that we often have employees from many different countries with different cultural and religious backgrounds. As a leader you must always be aware of this."
"Not everyone was included in the ARK survey for various reasons and there were also some who did not respond. How do you plan to include more
in the follow-up of the answers to the survey?"
"I think that even those who did not respond will enjoy / benefit from further follow-up that must involve more "in-person work" at the various sections / departments."
Read more
- Anne Simonsen
- Anne Simonsen group: Autofagi
- SFF CanCell
