Manage My Research Team

There are many ways to go about building a research team—some more effective than others. If you are charged with or are interested in building a research team, there are several considerations to keep in mind:

• Bring together members with diverse backgrounds and experiences to promote mutual learning.

• Make sure each person understands his or her roles, responsibilities, and contributions to the team’s goals.

• As a leader, establish expectations for working together; as a participant, understand your contribution to the end goal.

• Recognize that discussing team goals openly and honestly will be a dynamic process and will evolve over time.

• Be prepared for disagreements and even conflicts, especially in the early stages of team formation.

• Agree on processes for sharing data, establishing and sharing credit, and managing authorship immediately and over the course of the project.

• Regularly consider new scientific perspectives and ideas related to the research. 

Source: Collaboration and Team Science: A Field Guide 

The Field Guide  discusses:

• Team Science 

• Preparing Yourself for Team Science

• Building a Research Team

• Fostering Trust

• Developing a Shared Vision

• Communicating About Science

• Sharing Recognition and Credit 

•  Handling Conflict

• Strengthening Team Dynamics 

• Navigating and Leveraging Networks and Systems

• Challenges