Why develop a research team?
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Working as part of an effective project team can be an immensely rewarding experience, both in terms of personal satisfaction and achievement of the project goals. It can also be incredibly frustrating, especially if researchers in the team have different working practices, priorities or agendas to either the Research Team Leader, or to each other. The Pros of Effective Team DevelopmentTime spent on ensuring that the research team is working effectively, is time well spent. A team will only operate at its best if every member is working effectively both individually and as part of the overall team. In order to achieve this, the Research Team Leader needs to help researchers understand:
In order to be able to do this, the Research Team Leader needs to understand:
The Cons of Effective Team DevelopmentIf adequate time is not spent on building good team working then individual researchers may continue to work as individuals rather bonding together as a team. This may cause difficulties in managing individual’s contribution to the project goals and it may mean that researchers do not naturally help and support each other through project pressure points. It will also mean that team synergy is lost and that teams struggle to achieve something that is `greater than the sum of its parts’. Conflicting rather than harmonious working relationships may have farther reaching repercussions on future project work, for example under-achieving teams will have greater difficulty in securing further project funding and individuals may refuse to work together on future projects. These resources will provide support and guidance in three main areas: |