Structure, flexibility, alignment, and significance are the keys to high performance in the scientific environment.
Humanity’s greatest challenges are complex challenges. To face them, scientists need to integrate their minds and efforts to co-create solutions. This integration occurs through collaboration in the research environment, whether academic or industrial. Despite the word “collaboration” being widely disseminated and recognized as a necessity for scientific teams, it is typical for the collaborative process not to have a formal structure, generating personal conflicts, unproductivity, and disengagement.
For the collaborative process to succeed, we cannot rely on individual common sense: it is necessary to create a structure that supports and clarifies objectives and functions. This clarity is essential for channeling the knowledge and efforts of the entire team to co-create research results that generate discovery and innovation and, ultimately, positive social impact.
But how to create a structure that is both effective and flexible? To answer that question, I bring you a simple but powerful process of jointly defining each step of tasks and deliverables and aligning results with their significance.
What? The task
Collaborative scientific projects are built in stages and by many hands. To be clear, the beginning of the project needs to have an analytical structure that describes each step and how this step is connected to the larger project’s goal. Despite being established at the beginning of the research, it is crucial to keep in mind that some activities may change as you progress, and others need to leave or enter. The leadership’s role is to be aware of these changes and create a structure in which the entire team is updated on progress and possible changes.
Who? The person
With the tasks set, it’s time to divide and conquer. When the team comprises specialists, as with scientific projects, the definition of who will get each task needs to be done collaboratively. For this, a meeting with everyone involved at the beginning of the project will positively impact building collaboration and team trust. At this stage, the division format can be pretty straightforward, as in the case of a genetic analysis being the activity of a team member geneticist. But it doesn’t always work that way, and the project leader needs to delegate activities to people with the skills and experience required to carry them out.
How? The means
The third fundamental step is agreement on how the activity will be carried out (tools, technology). This step is crucial so that the results generated by different team members can be integrated, especially when the result of one activity is the beginning of another, so that they can be compatible.
When? The agenda
The scientific routine can be particularly arduous, with scientists simultaneously taking part in different projects. When a result does not have priority, it is common to leave the activity to be carried out when there is “time left.” This spare time may never arise with different joint activities, generating delays that can compromise the entire project. To avoid falling into this trap, each activity also needs to be scheduled. The most important thing is that the dates are well organized, and the changes are widely communicated throughout the project.
Where? The availability
Depending on the type of project, it may be carried out in different laboratories or even with some of the members working primarily in the home office. It is essential to understand how to contact a group member whose result or expertise can help in your activity in these distributed collaborations. This contact availability creates a truly collaborative environment in which team members can support each other in their challenges on an ongoing basis. When the project team works wholly or partially remotely, it is necessary to use online collaboration tools such as Slack. In these cases, the entire team needs to know how to use it and the communication rules.
Why? The significance
One of the most fundamental steps for any project to be successful is the broad communication of each activity’s significance and the importance of each member for collective success. This alignment must be clear at the beginning of the project and throughout all stages. Effective leaders can create a sense of belonging in the scientific team and transform the project into a common goal to be built by all.
Truly collaborative scientific projects can be very challenging, but the effort brings results beyond the simple sum of its parts. The main challenges can be addressed by implementing a solid but flexible framework for collaboration. By collectively defining activities and responsibilities and aligning these efforts with a clear vision of significant goals, it is possible to co-create the foundations for high performance in the scientific environment.
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Jadson Jall, PhD 