By L. Michelle Bennett, Edgar Cardenas and Michael O’Rourke
2. Edgar Cardenas (biography)
2. Michael O’Rourke (biography)
As scientific research continues to move towards collaborative knowledge production, scientists must become more adept at working in teams. How can teams improve their chances of collaboration success? What is a good way to facilitate dialogue about shared values, norms and processes of collaboration? Are there ways of anticipating, identifying, and addressing obstacles as they arise?
We have designed a collaboration agreement template to assist teams in:
- Making explicit and therefore transparent important aspects of their approach to collaboration
- Ensuring they have a shared vision for their work together
- Recognizing that their working relationships are dynamic, individually and as a team, and will require flexibility and a willingness to adapt over time
- Establishing expectations for working together, including what they do and say
- Preparing for disagreements and even conflicts, especially in the early stages and along the way when there are changes in team composition.