Tasks and relationships

On the face of it, collaborating with others sounds easy. In reality, most researchers find it presents challenges. Academic researchers for the most part are not trained in the skills required for building and managing successful teams. Problem solvers, almost by definition, embody the prevailing attitude of how hard can it be, of course I can do it! However, the interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills required for collaborative research are not what most academics were graded on at school. In the research arena, more teams fail to take off than succeed, often because team members have not acquired the necessary skills to thrive in a team. Even if you have a natural ability and had an amazing role model, it will be hugely beneficial for you to spend time learning about both team relationships and group effectiveness. As we have established in earlier chapters, this allows you to integrate the tasks and relationships dimensions of collaborative research and informs how you engage with your team and the task work that needs to be done.

Starting with self- and other- awareness

Among the insights research team leaders have shared with us over the years is that self- awareness is a critical aspect of leading successful teams. When we say self- awareness, we mean being cognizant of their strengths as well as weaknesses; being open to learning more about how others see them as team leaders; and their willingness to make changes to become more effective in this role.

To move toward self- awareness, a person must overcome what social psychologist Lee Ross has described as naïve realism – the belief that one sees events as they really are (Ross and Ward, 1996).