Creating Positive Cultures: Stories from the archive
Continuing our culture theme, I revisit past podcast conversations that explore how to foster positive research environments and cultures. We hear from people such as Elizabeth Adams, Tanita Casci, Jolanta Burke, Janet Reed, Alex Taylor, Kia Hook, and Lindsay Oades, who share their experiences and insights on creating a sense of belonging and collegiality within academic settings. Their stories emphasize recognizing individual strengths, promoting transparency, celebrating achievements, and the importance of supportive management practices for bringing out the best in people. Hopefully you will take away practical ideas and inspiration, and recognise the importance of both micro-actions and collective efforts in creating supportive, transparent, and inclusive cultures.
00:00 Intro
00:29 Episode introduction - fostering good cultures
03:48 Glasgow Uni's Research Culture Awards
07:51 Jolanta Burke on positive organisations
09:53 Janet Read on flexibility and supporting people with young families
11:47 Janet Read on know your team
12:32 Janet Read on bringing out the best in people
16:14 Alex Taylor on the power of the collective
22:25 Kia Höök on Fika
25:50 Lindsay Oades on autonomy, rationales and leeting people they are valued
29:58 Wrapping up
33:18 Outro
34:05 Repeating what Lindsay said
Related Links
Past episodes used in this curated episode:
Tanita Casci and Elizabeth Adams on supporting, rewarding and celebrating a positive collegial research culture (from May 2021)
Jolanta Burke on burnout, harmonious passion, positive workplaces & helping others (from Nov 2017)
Janet Read on charm bracelets, finish tape & the work to be a complete academic (from May 2018)
Alex Taylor on research at the boundaries, moving from industry to academia, the labour of academia & the power of the collective (from July 2019)
Kia Höök on challenges of success & value of slowing down and re-connecting (from Feb 2017)
Lindsay Oades on academic wellbeing, connecting to strengths, meaning and purpose, and not taking the system too seriously (from Sept 2018)
And others you can search for on Changing Academic Life who also talk about culture (among many others): Sarah Davies (part 2), Mark Reed, Karen Stroobants, Elizabeth Churchill.
Transcript
Welcome to Changing Academic Life.
2
:I'm Geraldine Fitzpatrick and this is
a podcast series where academics and
3
:others share their stories, provide
ideas and provoke discussions about what
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:we can do individually and collectively
to change academic life for the better.
5
:What are the everyday sorts of activities
and interactions that we can have in our
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:workplaces and in our research groups.
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:That contribute to creating great
research environments in which people
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:can really do great work together.
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:In this episode, we'll continue
on this theme of research
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:environments and research culture.
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:And we'll do this by revisiting some
snippets of past podcast conversations
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:from way back in the archive where people
have shared what they've been doing to
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:foster a sense of belonging and to create
collegial, supportive research cultures.
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:Hearing these diverse voices
and different approaches might
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:provide some food for thought.
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:And of course you can always go back
and listen to the full conversations
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:with the people that I've included here.
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:And I'll include links to their episodes
on the webpage for this episode.
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:And at the end I will also
point to yet more conversations
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:that I haven't included.
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:That also talk about culture
if you were looking for more.
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:Across the snippets.
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:I think you'll recognize a lot of
the themes that Nina from the Danish
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:young academy identified across
their research environment proposals.
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:And so we'll hear things like
the importance of recognizing
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:everyone as an individual.
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:And that can just be their own individual
preferences and styles of working.
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:It can be recognizing the particular
strengths that they bring, recognizing
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:their particular life circumstances
and how they can be supported in that.
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:We'll also hear about being very
explicit about rewarding and celebrating
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:both effort and achievements.
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:We'll hear about creating situations.
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:In which people can gather and meet and
talk and just connect in different ways.
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:Well, so I hear about the importance
of transparency and clarity
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:around roles and expectations.
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:And also being realistic about
what you can offer to people.
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:And all of these sorts of things
go towards fostering a sense
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:of collegiality and community.
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:And creating environments where
people really do feel seen, heard.
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:Valued and respected.
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:All really key aspects for
creating a sense of belonging.
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:And that sense of belonging is also a key
underpinning for what we talked about last
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:episode, in terms of psychological safety.
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:So the first extract I'd like to
replay is from a:
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:with Elizabeth Adams and Tanita
Casci from Glasgow university.
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:At Glasgow university, they had also
implemented an awards program to
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:celebrate good research cultures.
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:And so they'll talk about
that program a little bit.
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:And also I've collated some where they
talked about including collegiality
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:as a criteria for promotion.
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:Elizabeth: So we introduced
the Research Culture Awards.
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:maybe two years ago.
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:We're on our third iteration now.
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:And the purpose of the awards was
really to showcase and highlight good
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:practice or things that people were
doing a little bit differently to try
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:to bring about a positive research
culture to run mentoring programs or
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:early career researcher networks, or
I think, supporting people to think
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:about open research or just new ways
of doing research that's maybe a little
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:bit progressive and something that other
people can learn from and to celebrate.
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:I think the important thing for me is
that the awards aren't just sitting there
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:on their own, because I think if they
were just out there on their own it would
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:feel quite tokenistic, like that we once
a year we celebrate the four things that
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:people have done of being nice to each
other, which, and it's not about that at
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:all That's one strand of a bigger plan.
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:So the fact that we've introduced
collegiality into our professorial
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:promotions criteria is really, really
important in sending the message
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:that this is important in all ways.
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:And the awards is just one way
of highlighting good practice,
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:but also it's expected.
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:that you will be collegiate in your
teaching and in your research and your
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:knowledge exchange and all the different
things that you do and that you'll support
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:others um and that by doing so um research
is going to be better for everyone.
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:Tanita: We try as much as possible
to convey the idea that culture,
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:as Elizabeth has said, is the
vehicle to better research.
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:It's not being nice to each other.
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:We, you know, I hope we are.
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:It's actually integral.
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:to the process of developing good quality
research that stands the test of time,
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:that actually, you know, pushes the
boundaries of knowledge, improves society,
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:and creates a welcoming environment in
which talented staff will be attracted
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:to, uh, and can develop within.
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:And we, we think very much
about the academic output being
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:publications, societal impact.
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:But I would add to that, the people
we develop, the skills that we
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:put out into the world, the next
generation of academics that we
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:develop, that needs to be a crucial
pillar of the academic endeavor.
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:And so we should be asking every
relevant, important opportunity,
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:how an academic has supported
the careers of those around them.
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:And if someone hasn't taken the
opportunity to give that back and to
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:create that sense of community and
camaraderie and, you know, that peer
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:group that supports each other and
what good quality research is, Then
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:they're missing an important part of
essentially what I think should be there,
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:a fundamental aspect of their role.
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:Geri: And isn't that a
lovely challenge to us all.
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:To think about what are the
particular ways that we can give
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:back to contribute to creating that
sense of community and comraderie.
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:To supporting one another.
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:And that if we're not doing that, We're
missing a really fundamental aspect of the
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:academic endeavor, because as Tanita says
at the end, It's the people we develop.
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:That's a crucial pillar of that endeavor
for the benefit of good science.
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:Tanita also made the comment about,
it's not just about being nice to
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:one another for its own sake that it
actually is what enables good science.
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:And this theme is also picked up on,
in a conversation with Jolanta Burke.
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:Who was a positive psychologist and she
was working at university of east London
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:when we recorded this interview in 2017.
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:And in this snippet, she's
reflecting on this whole notion
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:of positive organizations.
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:And she also talks
about the importance of.
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:I guess what being nice enables in terms
of bringing out the best in ourselves
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:and bringing out the best in one
another and working to our strengths.
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:A theme that we'll also hear towards
the end, in one of the final snippets.
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:Jolanta: So I think positive
organizations to me are organizations
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:that understand the importance of.
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:Working on people's strengths, on
creating an environment that has a nice
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:balance of, you know, creating positive
emotions, but also negative emotions.
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:They are really important in many
situations, but understanding this rather
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:than being, limited in your views and
maybe focus on one theory or another.
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:I think that's what's important and
we definitely need to come out, go out
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:to organizations with that message.
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:And unfortunately, the positive in
positive psychology sometimes is
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:stopping us from doing it because the
managers, leaders would straight away,
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:say, you know what we don't need.
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:We know that positivity is nice
and happiness and well being,
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:but this is not what it is about.
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:And it is not about happiness.
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:Positive organization is
about high performance.
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:It's about getting the best
out of people and for people to
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:get the best out of each other.
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:Geri: So getting the best out of people
and for people to get the best out of each
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:other, that we can do that for each other.
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:So this leads nicely to the next snippet.
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:I want to share with you here.
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:Which provides some practical
examples for creating those
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:positive cultures of care, I guess.
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:And this is from a conversation
that I recorded with Janet Reed.
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:Who's a professor in child
computer interaction at the
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:university of central Lancashire.
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:We've recorded this back in
:
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:airport if I remember correctly.
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:So in this first part, Janet shares
how important it is to understand the
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:situation that people in, for example,
people with young families and how to
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:really support them in having a good
home life, as well as a good work life.
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:Janet: and we have these
conversations in our group.
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:Which is nice, that's why groups are good.
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:Most of my group have got young
families, so, I appreciate they want
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:to go home and do sports day, they
want to pick the kids up three days
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:a week, or whatever, and, Whatever
situation they find themselves in.
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:Um, I've now got young
grandchildren, sometimes I'm
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:called upon to look after them.
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:Sometimes I just want to go
and have coffee with one of my
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:daughters, and I think that's
nice, you can do those things.
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:So, when my two younger ones
were little, The older ones were
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:old enough to notice things.
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:And they once said to me, Mum,
when you're working at home, the
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:children, the children, I mean this
was the nine year old, you know,
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:talking about the four year old.
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:The children don't know if
you're being a mum or not.
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:Geri: Oh, goodness.
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:Janet: That was very perceptive.
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:And I've taken this to my team and I've
said to my young team, who are young
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:families, who've got young families,
I'll say to them, guys, if you're
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:going to work at home, don't work
at home when you're being a parent.
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:You know, it's not fair on your young
children to do this, because my
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:children told me this and, they'll
say I'm working at home because they
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:think it's convenient to work at home
while they're looking after the kids.
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:Dream on, you're looking after the
kids, you're not working at home.
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:And so I think that's an interesting
conversation I think if you've got
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:a An understanding manager, they will
understand that if you are working
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:at home for seven hours and you've got
young children at home for seven hours,
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:you're probably doing two hours worth
of work, and there's only a certain type
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:of work you can do in that environment.
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:Geri: I love the respect and understanding
that this shows in recognizing the
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:situations that other people are in and.
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:Just having that honest conversation
about what your expectations are and
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:that it's okay to put family first.
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:Janet talks later on about also
getting to know people and the
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:ways in which they're different.
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:So a short snippet on that from Janet.
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:Janet: Other people can
never work to deadline.
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:You know, I have PhD students who never
worked in, you know, they, they wanna
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:have everything ready six days before.
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:And I found that bizarre, I
think, what's wrong with you?
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:But you have to also understand that
the people around you, and, and one of
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:the things about teamwork, you know,
in our team, you have to understand
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:each other's team practices, and you
have to understand how your colleagues,
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:Geri: how you're going to negotiate those
different preferences together, and how
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:Janet: they want to work
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:Geri: Janet also had some lovely things
to say about how to be a manager who
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:can help bring out the best in people.
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:And she starts on this topic
by reflecting on watching her
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:daughter in a management role.
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:Janet: So one of my daughters is
a manager in a retail company.
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:She manages the team and
she is such a good manager.
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:And I never understood
management until I watched her.
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:Watched her, as in not standing there, but
watched her as a human doing management.
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:And that's active person management, and
she gets the best out of those people.
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:And I think to myself, why have I not
had the luxury of that kind of management?
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:And that's a bit rubbish.
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:Even her recruitment processes.
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:Really robust.
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:Yeah.
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:Or appraisal processes are
really robust and in university
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:you don't get any of that.
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:It's just kind of all a bit ad hoc.
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:Yeah.
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:Yes.
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:You'd have thought the least you
would do is try and not manage as
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:in manage, but it's the fact that
it's, it's the encouragement, the
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:understanding individual needs.
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:It's those key things.
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:You encourage, you understand the
needs, you motivate, you say, well done.
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:Yes, you say well done.
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:You say well done.
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:Wouldn't it be nice to get
a well done sometimes, Sam?
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:Oh, well done, Janet.
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:You know, the other day I actually
emailed my boss and I said, Hey, I've
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:had a great day, by the way, today.
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:Two papers accepted, one
funded bid submitted on a roll.
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:Oh, yay.
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:He did actually e mail back and
say, great, that was nice, you know.
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:But, you want a little bit of
encouragement from time to time, you know.
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:Indeed, yeah.
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:What we have, we have this finish tape,
you know, for Children's Sports Days.
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:You know, on the run, they
run across the finish line.
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:So I bought this finish tape.
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:And anyone who finishes something that
they've really been struggling with,
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:they can come to me and get a finish
tape and we tape it across our doors.
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:. And then we had certificates.
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:We've got, like, certificates
of rosettes and things.
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:We have, like, rosettes for great work.
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:That's funny.
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:I just think they're so, so important.
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:But universities don't do this, do they?
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:. .
Geri: And do universities don't often do this, do they?
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:But what, what are universities here?
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:I mean, universities
really are ultimately us.
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:They're the people.
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:And I think what Janet has
pointed to so powerfully.
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:Is how important just
these little things are.
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:So she says, just to repeat what she said.
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:It's those key things.
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:You encourage, you understand the
needs you motivate, you say, well done.
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:Wouldn't it be nice to
get a well done sometimes.
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:And so it's just these really little micro
moments of connection and encouragement.
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:That can make all the
difference to people.
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:And I love the example of using a
finish tape that they hang up when
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:they've overcome something that
they've been struggling with, or
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:little moments of celebrations.
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:And.
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:And gestures and rituals
like their certificates.
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:Small actions that can have a big impact.
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:That all contribute to building this
culture of collegiality and support.
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:So I want to move on to the
next conversation snippet.
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:And this is with Alex Taylor.
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:Who's a reader in the center for
human computer interaction design
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:at city, university of London.
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:And we recorded this
in his office in:
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:Alex particularly talks about
the power of the collective.
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:And he talks about that in
a variety of different ways
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:throughout the conversation.
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:And here, I just pick up on some
parts in which he talks about bringing
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:people together, just through things
like creating meeting groups or the
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:reading groups or the different types
of meetings that they might have.
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:Again just creating those opportunities
for people to gather and talk and share.
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:Alex: and of course, you know, important,
particularly important to me were the
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:early career researchers, and that, as you
say, they feel totally vulnerable because
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:they don't have the position to say no.
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:In fact, their careers depend on
saying yes, and I just want to
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:create the opportunities for them
to come here or to work in place.
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:You know, my, my only advice in it.
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:Impoverished advice is to say,
find the right people that will
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:support you, that won't subject
you to those sorts of pressures.
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:And that allow you to flourish.
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:But of course, that's,
that's a non trivial thing.
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:recommendation.
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:Geri: But we can all be part
of creating those spaces.
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:Yeah.
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:Just thinking back, um, from the
beginning of this sort of university
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:position to now, and you talked
about learning, not that you don't
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:have to be good at everything.
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:And so what would be some of the
sort of key other lessons that you've.
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:learned
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:?
Alex: I've said this a few times, but I, I don't think there's any easy answers.
284
:And I think this sense of having
people with you, um, and creating an
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:environment in which everyone can be the
best that they can be, not the worst.
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:Not the worst and I think, again,
that sounds incredibly grand, but
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:I think it gets done in small ways.
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:Um, and, you know, we've really,
within the centre, enlivened these
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:senses of meetings, not just for
meetings sake, but for spaces in
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:which we allow thinking to flourish.
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:Geri: So how do you do that practically?
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:Alex: So I think it is about getting
the right people to set the groundwork
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:for these spaces of, of thinking.
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:So in our writing group, we've
just hired a new, lecturers, Sarah
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:Heitlinger, who, has, has been doing
some great sort of feminist inspired
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:work and she's really trying to set
in place, uh, a turn to the writing
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:group, much like Ali Black spoke about.
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:, I have a reading group and it's about,
you know, I'm designing that reading group
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:to think both about obviously content
that's relevant to our students, our
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:PhD students and postdocs, et cetera,
but also that starts to introduce, um,
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:these layers of thinking and criticality.
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:And so, as we started
off saying earlier on.
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:These modes of being critical are
not somehow in parallel to what we
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:do, they're part of, they furnish
our intellectual capacities.
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:And so it's, it's letting
those things live together.
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:Um, Simone Stumpf, one of
our other senior lecturers,
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:is running a research group.
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:And, you know, everyone has a voice.
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:Everyone has the capacity to bring work.
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:Um, and I think it's just great.
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:And these things, of
course, all take time.
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:Well,
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:Geri: I was just going to ask,
how do you get people together?
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:Alex: Yeah, not everyone comes.
315
:I think you have to kind of work from
where people are able to make these.
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:And, so in my own reading
group, I don't enforce it.
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:And different weeks, we
have different people.
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:And that's why, in a way, I think it's
about giving a sense of the environment
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:we're in and what we're open to.
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:Geri: Yeah.
321
:Yeah.
322
:So would these groups happen
each of them every week or
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:is there some sort of rhythm?
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:Alex: My reading group's every other week.
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:Yeah.
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:the writing group is every week.
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:It's a two hour block.
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:Mm.
329
:Mm.
330
:You bring something, um, and we kind of
talk about through what, what we're doing.
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:I think we're thinking also of
having writing retreats where, you
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:know, there's a different emphasis.
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:Um, the research group is once a
week, we have a once a week seminar.
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:And again, you know, each of these things
on their own could, could be trivial.
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:But collectively, who you ask to come
and talk in a seminar series, who you
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:read, what you write about together,
um, all those things start to add up.
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:Yeah.
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:, And set.
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:these conditions for what
we're in business about.
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:Geri: I can see lots of ways that
these would be really useful in creating
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:spaces for people just to connect.
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:Yeah.
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:For learning from each other,
from being supported, helping
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:the intellectual endeavor.
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:I mean, there's just
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:Alex: To make that possible for people
and to, for, especially for those who
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:are new to an academic environment.
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:life to realize that there
are places like that.
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:Um.
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:Geri: And they're all very collective.
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:You know, everyone's got
something to contribute.
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:Absolutely.
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:And conveying that message.
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:Yeah, I
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:Alex: really am, you know, I'm
thrilled to be part of a, a center
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:and an organization that, wants it.
357
:that wills people to have a voice.
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:Geri: So some lovely examples
there of creating the spaces in
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:which people can come together.
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:And I love that emphasis on
enabling people to have a voice.
361
:The next one is a short
example from Kia Hook.
362
:Kia is a professor in interaction
design at KTH in Stockholm, Sweden.
363
:And we've recorded this in person in 2017.
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:And Kia, will talk about a particular
practice that they have in Sweden
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:that you may well have heard of.
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:Called Fika.
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:And she will explain this and,
and their different sort of
368
:approach in how they encourage
people to come together for Fika.
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:Kia: Oh yeah, yeah.
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:We had a very, very strong culture,
very much like you come to the seminars
371
:and we had, you know, the Swedish fika.
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:So, uh, it's coffee, coffee breaks.
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:So we had one enforced fika every week on
Wednesdays where everybody had to come.
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:Geri: and
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:Kia: drink coffee and
sit around and socialize.
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:We call it the enforced socializing.
377
:And it's so funny because I
would walk through the center.
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:This is an open office landscape.
379
:I would walk through the center
and say, okay, now it's three
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:o'clock and it's Wednesday.
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:It's enforced socializing.
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:You come now.
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:And people were, yeah, yeah, yeah.
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:But I just need to, you know.
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:And then they would come, and then I
couldn't make them leave, because they
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:were all like, blub, blub, blub, blub, you
know, talking about their research, uh,
387
:and so these things are super important.
388
:So we did that, we did joint trips,
we would hold full day meetings at
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:a partner location, we would hold a
meeting at Ericsson or, or Nokia or
390
:whatever, you know, so we really worked
hard on, uh, making this one center
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:Geri: So again, another example of very
deliberately creating the spaces and
392
:opportunities for people to get together.
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:And, and it also reflects quite
a different approach to what we
394
:heard Alex talk about in terms of
encouraging and making people attend.
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:And so I come to the final snippet
that I want to replay here.
396
:And that's from a conversation
with Lindsay Oades.
397
:Lindsey is a professor at the university
of Melbourne and director of the
398
:center for positive psychology there.
399
:And this is a conversation that we
had in:
400
:the positive psychology conference.
401
:What Lindsay starts off
reflecting on is the importance
402
:of autonomy for many academics.
403
:But also the parallel importance
of helping create clarity through
404
:providing rationale for people.
405
:It's that finding that balance
between letting people be totally
406
:free to run off and do what they want.
407
:Versus micromanaging.
408
:And so that sort of a clarity
of roles and expectations and
409
:transparency is really important.
410
:And he also goes on to talk about,
people not being dumb and that
411
:people really want to feel valued.
412
:And that it's important that we tell
people what we value about them.
413
:And to help them recognize what
their own strengths are and to help
414
:them be able to shape their own
work with the term job crafting.
415
:Now, during this conversation, this really
interesting part of the conversation.
416
:Unfortunately, we did have a
problem with Lindsay's microphone.
417
:It fell down a bit and neither
of us saw it early enough.
418
:So see how you go understanding
what he says in his own words.
419
:And if you can't understand it,
stay to the end of the podcast.
420
:And I will repeat verbatim what
he said there so that you don't
421
:miss out on his lovely insights.
422
:So this is Lindsay.
423
:Lindsay: The academics also,
they love autonomy and, but
424
:they also love a rationale.
425
:So, self determination theory, for
example, will tell us, give people
426
:autonomy but also give them a rationale
for what, so autonomy doesn't mean
427
:anything goes, it means, like, for
example, we got, we got some big research
428
:income targets we got to hit, um, that's
an external thing, we got to hit it,
429
:it's expected, um, so it's, here's our
challenge, we got to hit this, we got
430
:to hit this research income target,
you That's not really that negotiable.
431
:We've got to get these we've got to get
in this zone with this level of staff
432
:This is what's expected How do we do
it and then let the smart people do it
433
:don't come in and tell them and that
they've got to have micromanaged bits
434
:and pieces And some of them the whinge
they'll say but it at it But there's a
435
:rationale for why they've got to do it
and where, how they'll usually find a
436
:way, um, because they're not dumb people.
437
:Geri: So this, this points to you as a
leader or a director of center needing
438
:very good people skills and being
prepared to take the time and having your
439
:patience that you talked about earlier
440
:And in part of responding to this,
he talks about a strategy document.
441
:They have that helps people
see where they fit in.
442
:And this is also where the audio
quality starts to deteriorate a little
443
:bit more, as I said, see how you go.
444
:Lindsay: And I've really been
pushing the strategy document so
445
:that people can see where they
fit in where we're trying to go.
446
:Um, and that takes time.
447
:It does.
448
:It actually takes a lot of time.
449
:Geri: I'm always interested in turning
our research back on ourselves.
450
:So if you think about what you would say
to workplaces, if you're doing well being
451
:in the workplace consultancy externally,
And then you turn the lens back into
452
:your own centre or academia generally.
453
:What are the things that we're
not doing well or you're not doing
454
:well or whatever that we would
be telling other people to do?
455
:Lindsay: It sounds really trite,
but the evidence bears it out.
456
:Fundamentally, people at
work often feel undervalued.
457
:In general or by their immediate boss.
458
:Geri: Yeah.
459
:Lindsay: So simple things about what
do you actually value about your staff?
460
:And have you told them and in
what medium have you told them?
461
:So that, that's probably number one.
462
:Yeah.
463
:And number two would be the
stuff we've been talking about
464
:too before about strengths.
465
:Have you actually had
conversations with staff Oh.
466
:About their role in the job
description and how it can be crafted
467
:so they can use their strengths
more than they currently are.
468
:And that might take time as well.
469
:It's not, because there are
organizational constraints that, you
470
:know, you've got to deliver this or
we've got to get this class taught or
471
:we've got to generate this income or
we've got to get that contract done.
472
:So right this moment,
we might not be able to.
473
:get you exactly fully there but at least
having a conversation so there's a plan
474
:of how it's going to migrate there um and
that those conversations are important
475
:because again with academics if there's a
rationale and there's been a conversation
476
:they'll probably accept it for a while
yes if there's a good intent yes yeah
477
:um so there's a couple of things here
that's just that that that Enabling
478
:them to feel valued and then enabling
them to use this strengths and mold
479
:their work, or job craft their work.
480
:Geri: And so I love that, I love that
valuing because that talks about that
481
:issue that you mentioned earlier about not
getting any local validation and, but that
482
:we can still do that as managers as with
anyone that we work with, whether you're
483
:the director of a center or project team,
or even just a colleague, we could do
484
:that colleague to colleague, couldn't we?
485
:And now this is me back in real time.
486
:I really loved those two simple
things that he talked about.
487
:One is, what do you actually value about
the people that you're working with?
488
:And have you told them.
489
:Have you told them.
490
:And the second one was having the
conversations that are about their
491
:strengths and how you can help
people shape their work, to better
492
:fit their strengths, where they're
going to do a much better job.
493
:And it's also a way of bringing
out the best in people that
494
:connects to what Janet said and,
and what others have talked about.
495
:So I hope these snippets from different
people over the years might give some
496
:food for thought about just different ways
that you might contribute to creating the
497
:sort of environments that you want to see.
498
:Recognizing that we all
have a part to play.
499
:We can all make a difference.
500
:And they don't need to be grand gestures.
501
:They can just be little everyday things.
502
:Uh, small actions can
have a really big impact.
503
:And go a long way towards
creating cultures that are
504
:collegial and supportive.
505
:And then enable us to
do great work together.
506
:And the snippets that I presented
here from way back in the archive.
507
:And so if you're interested in the scene
to more conversations, Uh, that also pick
508
:up on notions of culture and creating
great work environments in different ways.
509
:I can recommend a couple of others that
you might put on your listening list.
510
:So Sarah Davies in part two
of my conversation with her.
511
:Sarah talked a lot about creating
cultures of care and things like setting
512
:expectations, as well as acknowledging
the work, especially the sort of
513
:invisible work that people do that
go to contributing to great cultures.
514
:Mark Reed in the conversation with
him, he talked about building a
515
:compassionate culture and then
talked about what that meant.
516
:Karen Stroobants in my conversation
with her talked about culture.
517
:More generally.
518
:And in particular about how
we need change of culture.
519
:As a key part of how we shift
the emphasis on just having, for
520
:example, high impact journal.
521
:Papers as the only output that we value.
522
:And that we need to change that.
523
:And Elizabeth Churchill.
524
:Also talked about what they were
doing at Google when she worked
525
:there towards creating more inclusive
cultures and in particular, she
526
:focused on building a team culture.
527
:So there are some other pointers that
you may want to go back and listen to.
528
:And gather more ideas.
529
:And I invite you just to
leave this thinking about.
530
:What might be one or two small actions
that you can do right now, right today.
531
:That contributes to creating
the culture that you want.
532
:You can find the summary notes,
a transcript, and related
533
:links for this podcast on www.
534
:changingacademiclife.
535
:com.
536
:You can also subscribe to
Changing Academic Life on iTunes,
537
:Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
538
:And I'm really hoping that we can
widen the conversation about how
539
:we can do academia differently.
540
:And you can contribute to this by rating
the podcast and also giving feedback.
541
:And if something connected with you,
please consider sharing this podcast
542
:with your colleagues together.
543
:We can make change happen.
544
:As promised, I'm going to read out what
I could transcribe from what Lindsay
545
:said when we had that microphone drop.
546
:So you may remember that he'd been
talking about just letting smart people
547
:get on and do it and you don't have to
tell them they have to have micromanaged
548
:parts that'll usually find a way.
549
:So he continues saying, You have to do
this both individually and as a group.
550
:And I've been trying to push this strategy
document so people can see where they fit.
551
:into it and where we want to go.
552
:And that takes time.
553
:I raised some question then about
turning the lens back onto academia.
554
:And he says, it sounds really trite,
but the evidence bears it out.
555
:Fundamentally, people at work
often feel undervalued in general
556
:or by their immediate boss.
557
:So simple things about what do
you actually value about your
558
:staff and have you told them?
559
:And in what medium have you told them?
560
:So that's number one.
561
:And number two would be the stuff we
talked about before about strengths.
562
:Have you actually had conversations
with staff about their role, and the
563
:job description, and how it can be
crafted, so that they can use their
564
:strengths more than they currently are?
565
:And that might take time as well,
because there are organizational
566
:constraints, that you have to deliver
this, or get this class taught, or
567
:we've got to generate that income, or
we've got to get that contract done.
568
:So, while at this moment we can't get
you exactly fully there, at least we
569
:have that conversation, so there's a
plan of how it's going to migrate there.
570
:And those conversations are really
important, because again with academics,
571
:if there is a rationale and there has been
a conversation, they'll probably accept
572
:it for a while if there's good intent.
573
:So there's a couple of things there,
enabling them to feel valued, and
574
:enabling them to use their strengths
and mould their work, job craft
575
:their work from a strength space.
