Introduction
Research collaborators are like the best friends you never knew you needed. Working with research collaborators is intimidating and potentially an uncomfortable situation. You are allowing someone inside the closely-guarded design strategies of your organization and may want to only share certain things with them.
Don’t Be Alarmed: Working With A Research Collaborator Helps Your Research Efforts
Working with a research collaborator is a way to help your efforts, not hinder them.
We know that you’re probably used to working alone. You may have always been the one who does the research for your own articles or papers, and now you’re feeling overwhelmed by how much work it is just to get started. But don’t worry! You can still do it all yourself—you’ll just need some help from a research collaborator.
A research collaborator is someone who can help you gather the information that you need for a project, so that when it comes time for writing, you’ll have everything ready to go. They can also provide feedback on early drafts of your writing, so that you know exactly what needs fixing before submitting anything final. A good research collaborator will be able to bring something new and fresh to your writing process, in order to make sure that every piece of content produced by this collaboration is top-notch quality.
A Research Collaboration Can Be Enhanced By
- A research collaboration can be enhanced by a shared understanding of the goals and standards involved in the project.
- A research collaboration can be enhanced by a well-defined and agreed-upon set of project goals, a clear understanding of the roles of each collaborator, as well as an open and honest communication process.
- A research collaboration can be enhanced by having a clear, well-defined goal.
- A research collaboration can be enhanced by using a common language, which may include sharing a standard set of terms and definitions.
Having An Open Mind Makes You More Likely To Have Good Ideas
When it comes to brainstorming, there is no right way to do it. But if you’re looking for a way to get the most out of your ideas sessions, especially if you work solo, consider making space for someone else’s style.
That is: If you’re a super-structured person, inviting a more free-spirited and organic thinker into your process might help you be more open to new ideas. If you’re an organic thinker, having someone who can help guide your brainstorming might help you stay on track and get the most out of your time.
The best part? You don’t even have to have a lot of time together — research shows that even just one or two meetings with a diverse research collaborator can result in vastly increased productivity and creativity.
It’s Good To See People Do Things Differently Than You, Even If You Think They’re Wrong
Our research collaborators are the backbone of our work. If you’ve been in the same lab for a long time, chances are there are some things you just take for granted: things that feel like common sense and obvious best practices. Sometimes this is the case because your hunch is correct, and sometimes it’s because you haven’t seen alternatives in action, so all you have to go on is your own assumptions.
It’s good to work with people who do things differently than you. It can be uncomfortable, but that discomfort often leads to learning new things or challenging your own conceptions of how something should be done. Good experimentation is an iterative process, where different experiments build on each other incrementally over time. The more often you’re exposed to new ideas and different ways of thinking about problems. The more likely it’ll be that every increment of improvement will be larger than it would’ve been otherwise—and that means better results for everyone involved!
You Don’t Learn Much If You Just Work With People Who Are A Lot Like You
Working with a research collaborator is the best way to ensure that your research is on track. Scientists need to be able to think outside the box, but you also need to be able to stay inside it when the time calls for it. Surrounding yourself with like-minded thinkers is important—but it’s not the whole picture. You shouldn’t just work with people who are a lot like you, if you want to make sure that your research and your work is as reliable and well-researched as possible.
If you only spend time with people who think and work in ways that are similar to yours, then how do you know that your methods are actually the best way forward? By spending time with people who come from different backgrounds and have different ways of thinking about problems, you’ll generate more ideas and have more opportunities to find new solutions or better ways of doing things. You may find a way of approaching an old issue that finally gets results, or a new approach that no one had thought of before.
One thing’s for sure: when you work with someone who experiments differently than you do, they’re bound to complement your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses in a way that will end up producing better results.
Arguments With Research Collaborators
Have you ever tried to convince someone to see your point of view… only to walk away feeling even more convinced that your idea is right?
You’re not alone. Arguing with someone who thinks differently than you do can actually increase your confidence in your own ideas!
This is a phenomenon known as “directionality.” When you’re testing an idea that you already believe to be true, it’s easier and more useful for you to prove your hypothesis than for you to disprove it. The process of arguing with someone who thinks differently than you do helps you identify which arguments will hold up against scrutiny. And if your argument can’t hold up against scrutiny, maybe it isn’t worth believing in at all.
This difference of opinion might be just what you need to confirm that your ideas are actually as good as they seem.
The Aha Moment When You Realize You Need To Change How You Do Things
When someone comes in and changes your approach, it makes you reconsider what you are doing. This is really useful because if you do the same thing over and over, you eventually stop thinking about it. But when someone interrupts the process, it forces you to reconsider what you are doing.
If your way of doing things is correct, this makes you realize why it’s correct and allows you to justify why your method is better than the other person’s method. If there is room for improvement, then this new approach gives you ideas on how to improve your methods.
Who You Work With May Be The Most Important Thing
Whether you are working on a project by yourself or with others, it is important to be able to understand that not everyone thinks the same way as you do. Research collaborators might have different ways of approaching a problem than you do, and that is perfectly fine!
When working on an experiment, try to embrace these differences amongst your team members. In some cases, this can actually be very helpful in improving both your approach and the final outcome.
One thing that makes people unique from each other is their personality and their ability to connect with others. If a person feels comfortable enough with their research collaborator and has good relationships with them, chances are they will feel more at ease communicating any issues or concerns they might have about how the project is going. They may even be able to work through concerns together instead of struggling by themselves.
This type of research collaboration leads to better results because everyone involved gets an opportunity to share what they know. As well as learn new things from each other’s experiences working on similar projects before (or perhaps even something totally unrelated).
Conclusion
Working with research collaborators who runs experiments differently than you is a fantastic way to learn about the systems you’re in and develop your communication skills.
Remember, the goal of an experiment is to answer a question. It’s not to prove that you’re right. It’s not to come up with the best idea—and it’s definitely not to look smart.
When someone comes at a problem from a completely different perspective, it can force you to think about things you’ve never thought about before — which is always a good thing. Now go out and find some new research collaborators.