Collaborative Norms

 Defining our Norms: What are the core aspects to promoting excellence and belonging in our team? 

• Promote Empathy over Sympathy: Empathy is connecting with another person on a deep level to support them. It does not require for you to have lived the exact same experience, but it pushes you to get in touch with your own fragilities to support others. Empathy is a very relevant to working in a team and navigating the academic and professional environment. It involves prospective taking, remain free of judgment, and recognizing how the other feel and communicating it to them. It is very different than sympathy where you would retain an outside perspective trying to support your colleague. For more information, see the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZBTYViDPlQ&ab_channel=DianaSimonPsihoterapeut 
• Foster Open and Respectful Communication: We aim to foster a supportive and open interactive environment where we can all connect with each other and discuss our excitement, appreciation, concerns, and challenges openly, creating a space where constructive criticism and positive reinforcement are welcomed. The goal of regular and open conversations is to help us grow as individuals and researchers, but also collectively as a research group and team. We believe that respect is fundamental to effective communication and that addressing minor issues before they escalate into larger problems is crucial. By prioritizing mutual respect and open dialogue, we can build stronger, more collaborative research environments, enhance our contribution to knowledge, and support the growth of each member of our community. This is highlighted by our committment to revisit these collaborative norms as a group on a regular basis (~once a year) as more member join our community.
• Align Expectations: To ensure a successful and well-aligned experience in the SPIn lab, it is essential to clarify several key aspects of a project between team members. We aim to define the role and responsibilities of each team member clearly, within the lab and potential collaborative projects. This includes the contribution to the project, the tasks, and expected deliverables. It is crucial to not just align tasks and deliverable but also regularly discuss how the work contributes to each lab member’s personal goals and understand what they hope to gain from the experience. Developing a clear expectation for supportive structures, aspirational achievement, and guidance is also key. This can, for instance take the form of establishing  communication preferences, such as anticipated response times, to facilitate effective and respectful interactions.  Beyond the “transactional” aspect of aligning expectations, remember to be kind, understanding, and respectful of each member’s preference and boundaries. This comprehensive alignment will help all members set clear expectations and feel respected in their personal goals and boundaries, fostering a productive and collaborative research and learning environment.
• Engage in Active Listening: Active listening is an important component of constructive communication and a core value of our group. It involves making a conscious effort to listen, to ensure understanding of the speaker’s intention. Active listening often includes maintaining eye contact, paying attention to what is said, as well as asking for clarification when there is a misunderstanding. We are dedicated to promote a safe physical and emotional space where active listening is used to support everyone and foster a supportive environment. For example, each one-on-one meeting starts with “check ins” where researchers have the opportunity to share anything they may want to talk about, positive or negative. This is not a “small talk” opening and should be taken as a opportunity to sincerely share whatever may be on your mind. Within the group, members are encouraged to engage in active listening to support each other and advance their research and learnings, whether scientifically or not. A short guide to active listening is given below.

• Trust and Delegation: We deeply value collaboration and recognize that leveraging each team member’s unique strengths is essential for advancing our research expertise and deepening our understanding of our field. We encourage a culture where asking for help and seeking support is seen as a strength and an opportunity to expand the scope and perspective of a given project. It is important to focus on the opportunities offered by bringing in the perspective of others to a given problem, rather than comparing their speed in completing research tasks or the control one may “give up” by delegating. Embracing delegation not only builds trust among team members but also brings fresh perspectives to complex problems, advancing our scientific inquiries. Delegation also fosters the independence of both those who seek support and those who provide it. Independence is multifaceted and can vary based on personal experiences and the stage of the relationship but we strive to focus on (1) defining the problem/contribution together, (2) taking the time to teach and reflect on how you learned concepts and skills, (3) empowering others to take an active role in research activites, (4) motivating others by recognizing the impact of their contributions, and (4) inspiring them by behaving as a role model and promoting a network of role models. By prioritizing trust and effective delegation, we enhance our collaborative efforts and support the professional development of every lab member.
• Promote a Growth Mindset: We believe in promoting a growth mindset to support self-confidence building and fostering independence of every team member. A growth mindset is the idea that intelligence is not fixed and that knowledge and skills can evolve with time and practice. Promoting this incremental view of abilities is a powerful tool to boost self-confidence, sense of belonging, and overall academic and research performance. To do so, we emphasize the positive relationship between learning and growing, highlighting that mistakes are part of the learning process and that there is growth not just in accomplishment, but also in failures. In fact, we aim to describe research success as a process of acquisition, and highlight setbacks as a crucial part of the process and opportunities to learn new things and moving knowledge and scientific advances forward. Success is not linked to “smartness”, and failures are not intrinsic limits in capabilities. To do this, each lab member is encouraged to think deeply about the way tasks are designed and framed and short term research milestones should strive to be challenging, yet accessible. Scaffolding, peer support, and a strong emphasis on the purpose and greater context of the research are important sources of motivation and should strive for self and collective improvement of skills and expertise.

 When you were in a high performing committee or team, what were the characteristics?

• Empathy
• Clear and Honest Communication, Realistic Expectations
• Trust and delegation
• Active Listening
• Making sure everyone is on the same page
• Admitting when you don’t know/you’re wrong/sorry
• Not giving advice unless they are asked for
• Constructive criticism + positive support
• Talking about little things before they become big things
• Willing to help you learn them

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