Leading and managing people in a research context

Research projects require some particular approaches to managing people. We will explore the ongoing management of the research team and allied contributors and particular management issues that may arise. We will focus on management within the distinctive research context of constrained periods of employment and tight timelines. If you have responsibility for managing students, research teams, research centre or a programme of research, this is most important. It will make a real difference to how your group operates.

Aims

Module 7 aims to assist researchers to reflect on their preferred leadership style, the challenge of developing a context for creative research and the ongoing management issues within the distinctive research context of fixed-term employment and narrow time frames.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• identify the characteristics of a culture in which research teams identify and achieve appropriate goals
• understand the relevance of different leadership styles in a research context and the stages in team development
• introduce key characteristics of effective communication, negotiation skills and teams
• understand your responsibilities in creating a safe equitable workplace for the team
• provide tools and skills for researchers to plan and monitor activities to meet the requirements of the research plan.

Content overview

The module comprises the following topics:

1. Challenges of managing and leading in a research setting
This topic explores the environment within which people can perform well.
2. Research leadership
This topic explores the major elements that contribute to research leadership.
3. Building an effective team
This topic deals with the setting of standards and the interpersonal and communication processes a leader must address.
4. Managing individuals
This section focuses on motivating, guiding and developing individuals working on your project.

Workshop details

There will be a 6 hour workshop associated with this module.

Presenters

• Professor Judith Black, NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research
• Professor Geraint Lewis, Professor Astronomy & Astrophysics, School of Physics
• Professor Andrew Gonczi, Director of Clinical Education, Faculty of Health Sciences

Venue

Darlington Centre - Conference Rooms 1 and 2

Duration

9.00am - 4.00pm

Dates

21 July 2011 - COMPLETED

We are currently scheduling our programs for 2012. The dates for these modules will be published on our website in early 2012.