3.1 Organisation and Communication
Effective research can only occur within the context of sufficient, appropriate communication. As the research leader, you are responsible for setting and modelling the processes that ensure team members can easily receive and share information necessary for their work. The project funder and the university will have requirements about managing records and intellectual property (see Module 4) relevant to the research and you should establish systems (or adopt local processes) that can allow this to occur.
The best way to introduce and then maintain clear and open lines of communication is, at the beginning of the research project, develop processes and standards that suit the team and its objectives. At the start up meeting for your program, sit with your team and discuss the importance of regular communication and how best to access each other for information or assistance. Creating a system for filing aspects of the research ensures it can be readily located. Systems also need to be established for 'configurational' control in order that versions of systems and data are clearly identified by dates, researcher, etc.
The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and Project Plan (refer to Topic 4 of Module 1) are examples of ways that leaders can outline the work to be done, and in turn provide a basis for identifying the roles, and the related skills and knowledge, that will be needed to perform project activities. The roles and responsibilities of team members should already have been broadly set out in the position description or role statement that was prepared for recruiting staff. However, when individuals are named in a grant application then this formal step is regularly overlooked. Good research leaders take the time to make sure that staff understand the outputs required of their role, the standard of work that is required, and how their work relates to the overall project goals.
Agreed-upon processes can streamline some aspects of communication. For instance:
- Set up regular meetings face to face or electronically so that researchers can receive and share information relevant to their work, identify and build support in their work, and raise issues before they become problems
- Provide time for people to interact to maintain social cohesion within the team
- Team protocols for creating and managing emails (such as wording of headers) can help manage these communication tools more efficiently
- Data and reports that the group may need to refer back to can be placed in a shared computer file or on a website.
However, it is the interpersonal aspects of communication that are often the most challenging. Since much communication occurs nonverbally, it is wise to bring the team together physically, if at all possible, early in the life of the project. This gives the people involved the opportunity to get to know each other and the different research styles from which they operate. This is especially relevant when the team is multidisciplinary, since each discipline may have unspoken but fundamentally different assumptions which can impact on the way research is conducted.
Cultural and communication issues in building an effective team
In some projects the actual research work can be quite isolating. It may involve long periods of running tests or sitting at a computer trawling through articles and reference material. While this may suit some people, for others it can be sterile. Some people require social connections either within the team or with others, and you may want to use these skills in liaison or interpersonal activities within the team.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicators mentioned earlier - and other tools such as the Team Management System and Belbin team roles analysis - can help you and the team become more aware of different working preferences and how they can be used positively to support staff job satisfaction and team performance. Other supports can be provided through regular phone calls, emails, or onsite visits. You can structure meetings and regular morning breaks (e.g. morning teas that everyone is 'strongly encouraged' to attend) to reduce isolation and encourage the sharing of insights and lively debate that is indicative of a vibrant research culture. In such an environment the insights of the quieter members of the group are as valuable as the more outgoing. It is important that you model the inclusive behaviour that invites, and respectfully listens to, everyone's point of view. Aside from breaking down isolation, your modelling will help promote healthy debate based on well-reasoned argument rather than personal assertions and attacks.
A leader has the responsibility of addressing any behaviour that may be counterproductive to a good working environment. Without wanting to reinforce stereotypes, men and women have well documented differences in their communication styles. While a male team member may perceive an exchange as a robust and challenging debate, a female team member may perceive the exchange as an aggressive and uncomfortable attack. You can influence the group's communication style by emphasising the importance of challenging the idea, not the person, and thereby create a safer context for energetic and robust debate.
Cultural differences
The pursuit of knowledge is a global endeavour so you are likely to have team members from different cultural backgrounds. The inherent differences between people on your research team promote different perspectives that can contribute new insights. However, different cultures also have their own standards about who should initiate communication, what constitutes an affront, and how polished an idea should be before it is exposed. In some cultures maintaining harmony and respect within the group is more important than individual expression. Increasing awareness and valuing these differences can help you consciously develop a team environment in which staff are more comfortable; they will then tend to adopt communication styles that are likely to produce good levels relationship building and problem solving. Australia is a multicultural society and it is illegal to treat someone less favourably because of his or her race or ethnicity.
An example of cultural difference might be found in the Safeguarding the Murray-Darling scenario. The MDBproject had the potential to fall far short of its goals if the leaders were not able to communicate effectivelywith and understand the strong community and stewardship intentions of the Indigenous community.Potential sources of miscommunication and frustration can come from different norms about nonverbalcommunication. An example is the lack of eye contact that in Aboriginal society is a sign of respect, but inwestern societies can be interpreted as evasiveness. And ‘delays’, which can allow a research group toestablish relationships strong enough to address difficult issues, may be interpreted in another culturalframework as ‘obstructionism’.
In the early stages of the project it is vital that you set and model the norms around discussion and respecting the views of others. This can also be done at the start up meeting and managed through a brainstorming session. At this time focus on the characteristics of the past effective teams the team members have worked in. Together you need to discuss strategies on how your team can talk together and work effectively.
The discussion should raise behaviours such as:
- listening to each other without interruption
- respecting the other person when challenging their point of view
- following through – doing what you say you will do
- giving credit where credit is due – acknowledge assistance and recognise the good ideas of others.
The aim of this approach is to build a climate of open communication in which it’s safe to raise and explore unconventional ideas or approaches without feeling at risk of personal attack. Fear tends to reduce the openness of discussion and the creativity of fresh ideas. However, this does not mean that new ideas shouldn't be challenged. There is a significant difference in the impact on interpersonal relationships between the passionate delivery of a statement such as: “That idea is obviously wrong. You’re an idiot and I'm not going to waste my time on such notions" and "I appreciate your idea is an exciting one; however, I believe...”. By enabling the group to explicitly recognise the standards of acceptable behaviours in the early stages of its development, you establish a basis by which the team can exert legitimate social pressure to reduce the kind of behaviour that can lead to destructive conflict.
Good leaders are repeatedly identified as being open, trustworthy, and transparent in their interactions with staff. Open communication flourishes in a situation where there is a high degree of trust and mistakes are taken as signals to adjust the process rather than a dereliction of duty. This is helped by focusing on the issue at hand and not blaming the person - i.e., 'hard on the problem, soft on the person'. Approached in this way the individual is less likely to become defensive and uncooperative from feeling as if they were forced into a corner, and more information can emerge that will help resolve the question or problem.
Modules
