What leads team dynamics to be so much more challenging than the research? Why do people always tell me, “It’s not the science you need to worry about, it’s the people!”?
Almost every interaction among team members is spontaneous. Unpredictable. Sure, it’s possible to script things to some degree, meeting agendas, standard operating procedures, who gets to delegate to whom.
Artwork by Karyl Bennett - All rights reserved
But, in real-time each action, reaction, or interaction is influenced by feelings, thoughts, and needs at the moment. And we all know, from experience that when things are tense, or we want to give critical feedback, or we have concerns about how a team member is behaving, what comes out of our mouths might not land well. For those not accustomed to giving and receiving direct feedback, there is an underlying fear that the other person will get angry, upset, defensive, feel bad, or say some things to us that stings. So, we soften it, or dance around it, and more often than not, leave things that might be healthy for the team to discuss unsaid.
It is not hard to imagine how life can impact us in different ways. Situations are going to arise that will impact how we show up and react to each other such as:
· You’ve been up most of the night, are tired, haven’t had anything to eat yet, and you’re on your way to a meeting you know is going to be contentious.
· There was a medical emergency or a death in the family.
· You feel distracted, out of sorts, and are not sure why.
How you and your team members behave and interact when in situations like this is pivotal to the healthy functioning of the team.
Practice Being Spontaneous
Just think for a moment about all the things you have practiced over and over and over again so when you are in the moment, the act feels natural, effortless, and cascades easily to the next action. Sports, dance, music, games of strategy, dramatic arts, presentations, storytelling, and the list goes on-and-on.
Let’s try outlining it.
1. Identify team or group members – essentially, who will be working together?
2. Agree on the rules, expectations, and what people are willing to be accountable for.
3. Start practicing. If the group has never worked together before – or only a few people have – you’ll want to make sure everyone is comfortable with their roles and responsibilities – and willing to seek help or let others know when they are not
4. Prepare for showtime (whatever that is or looks like)
5. Perform
Preparing for research collaborations is no different.
1. Identify team members – Who has the expertise, talents, and strengths we need to succeed?
2. Agree on expectations, scientifically and relationally, and document them in a collaboration agreement, or similar.
3. Put an intentional process into place initially that enables team members to practice the agreements they have put in place. Recognize people who are following the agreed upon norms and processes. Get curious with those who are not and learn what could be improved.
4. When things are going well and stress is low, collaborating may feel easy. Use this time to prepare and practice for when things might feel more tense: a deadline, a pitch for funding, a disagreement, a site visit.
5. Performing spontaneously – practice has paid off. No matter what is said, how someone acts, or what kind of stress arises, the team has practiced, is comfortable, and works through challenges in real time.
I often ask the audience at the end of my workshops “What is the Difference Between Researchers and Hockey Players?” Sometimes I hear “teeth” or “money” or “padding” – all good answers.
I then tell them that the answer I am looking for is that “Hockey Players Practice”.
I can do a workshop with a group of scientists, clinicians, engineers, among others, but if they do not take away something from the workshop to practice with their teams, the workshop will not have any impact for them.
Practicing together helps teams get through the really tough stuff when it occurs. And it typically occurs when teams are least expecting it.
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