Teaming Virtually, January 22, 2021

Teaming Virtually, January 22, 1:30-2:15 pm. This online workshop is offered by iCOGS, a series of modules on Interdisciplinary Collaboration for Graduate Students. After an introduction to the special teamwork challenges of working together from different locations, the workshop will introduce the pros and cons of tools that are helping research teams work together at a distance, for communication along with document and data sharing. Registration is free, but required before January 19 here.

Team strengths, communication, conflict workshop, 10 December 2020

Leveraging strengths, managing conflict and effective communication in research teams/groups, December 10th from noon to 4 PM. This online interactive workshop is for graduate students, postdocs and other researchers. It is offered by iCOGS and will be facilitated by Profs Mary Lynn Realff (MSE) and Angus Wilkinson (CHEM).

Working as part of a team, or group, comes with both benefits and challenges. The benefits include interacting with people who bring different viewpoints, expertise and experiences to the table. However, the challenges include communicating effectively with people who have different backgrounds and dealing constructively with conflict due to different viewpoints. The workshop will explore how diversity in a team can strengthen it, different approaches to dealing with conflict, how to have a “difficult conversation” with both peers and your supervisor, and strategies for avoiding communications problems. Take home tools to improve your team skills will be provided.

Registration is limited; please sign-up ASAP here. For more information, contact Angus Wilkinson (angus.wilkinson@chemistry.gatech.edu).

 

Interdisciplinary Collaboration for Graduate Students May 28 and 29, 2020

Interdisciplinary Collaboration for Graduate Students, May 28 to 29. This online workshop covered the basics of teamwork in research teams, from the perspective of graduate student participants.

For students or staff who wished to be trained to facilitate the workshop material in other settings later, there were additional orientation and debrief sessions ahead of and after the workshop.

Agenda:

Thursday, May 28

Noon – 12:30  Orientation to the project for Train the Trainer participants

1 – 2:30 pm     Welcome and Introductions, Innovation and Productivity in Teams [followed by short assessment survey]

3:00 – 4:30 pm     Diversity: Identities, Contribution & Values [followed by short assessment survey]

Friday, May 29

9 – 10:15     Effective Communication [followed by short assessment survey]

10:30 – 11:45   Leveraging and Managing Conflict; workshop wrap-up and reflection [followed by short assessment survey]

Noon – 12:30    Debrief and introduction to the facilitator guide for Train the Trainer participants

 

Teaming Virtually May 18, 2020

Teaming Virtually, May 18, 3:30-4:15 pm. It’s harder getting work done together when your team does not meet face to face. Yet most teams in industry operate this way, and research teams are doing it more and more often. What are the challenges? How can you choose and use communication tools to help your team be successful? This online seminar is designed for graduate students and open to students, faculty, or staff at Georgia Tech or elsewhere.

Workshop planned by: Lew Lefton, College of Sciences and EVPR office; Chris Wiese, Department of Psychology, does research on teams and how they operate; Andrea Soyland, Center for Cell Manufacturing Technology, an NSF Engineering Research Center with both U.S. and international partner institutions; Susan Cozzens, iCOGS project

The workshop materials are available here.

When you have completed this workshop, you should be able to

    • Name several aspects of teamwork dynamics that are more difficult to achieve in virtual teams as compared with face to face teams.
    • Be aware of intellectual property, privacy, and national security provisions that might affect communication and data storage in your research.
    • Suggest some ways that your team can use communication and collaboration tools to work together better. 
    • Name some of the special challenges faced by research teams that work together across multiple institutions.