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How to live without the academic hunger games.
- 1. How to live without the academic hunger games. Ass/Prof Narelle Lemon hello@exploreandcreateco.com @rellypops @rellypops and @exploreandcreateco
- 2. I’m not going to play the academic research collaboration hunger games: hunting, attacking, stealing, and back stabbing are not a part of my agenda!
- 3. Hello • Who am I? • Who are we? • [YOUR VOICE] In the comment box introduce yourself. What discipline are you in? What stage of your study or academic life are you in?
- 7. What are you noticing? [YOUR VOICE] In the comment box share your thoughts or experiences
- 8. As Berg & Seeber (2016) remind us, psychological wellness as scholars is an ethical imperative and is an essential component of self care, thus preventing burnout, distress, and impairment. It is not something ‘extra’ or ‘nice to do’. Self care is worthy of our attention. Berg, M., & Seeber, B.K. (2016). The slow professor: Challenging the culture of speed in the academy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
- 9. What am I noticing. • Mindfulness in higher education: practices, perspectives and processes (Springer – due out 2018) • 20 international contributors • Australia, New Zealand, UK, USA, and Canada • Goffman (1959): Dramaturgical theory of social interaction • Allows each other to consider how we perform, enact and carry out our work with a focus on mindfulness. • Presents the lived experiences of understanding, embracing and enacting mindfulness.
- 10. Mindfulness – what is it? • Mindfulness practices are about slowing down the mind. About emptying them and being present in the moment. It is about caring for your body and your feelings (Thich Nhat Hanh, 2017). • Present • Self-aware • Non-judgmental • Compassion • Care • Kindness • Gratitude
- 11. Challenges. • Danger of the commodification of mindfulness where it is operationalized as a tool to subdue workers into compliance (Purser & Milillo, 2015). • Rise of McMindfulness (Purser & Loy, 2013)– short term interventions designed to ease employee stress but without considering the broader structural conditions and inequities which lead to stress in the first place. • The separation of the Buddhist traditions of mindfulness from contemporary secular mindfulness approaches in organisations. • Individual reductionistic views of mindfulness: “individualistic and superficial spirituality is reductionistic in that it sees human beings as instrumental ends, ‘human resources’ to be managed to improve productivity” (Driscoll & Wiebe, 2007, p. 339). • Mindfulness is not ethically neutral, rather, has a key focus on civic, political and ethical responsibility.
- 12. Ways to map mindfulness – what is missing? • Differences in ways mindfulness is conceptualized and practiced • Focus on psychological scales to measure mindfulness rather than developing on multiple ways to “express and make explicit what mindfulness is” (Forbes, 2012, p. 6). • Need a focus that acknowledges the intersection of cultural context, interpersonal dynamics and inclusivity • Research must include “both individual and institutional analysis” (Purser & Milillo, 2015).
- 13. Utilising social media as examples of shifting practice. • Professional learning • Emotional support • Networking • Perspectives • Voice • Reciprocity • Community
- 14. • Twitter • 30 hour period of time digital ethnography and deep dive • Witnessed: • 237 retweets • 383 likes of a discussion • Collected data on: • 134 replies • Adult Coping Scale (Frydenberg and Lewis) • Fellow academics: what do you do to get back on track during rough times? Responses and RTs could make a really powerful resource for all • Male = 52 (40% ), Female = 67 (51.50% ), Undisclosed = 11 (8.50% )
- 15. Summary of Coping categories connected to tweet content.
- 16. Seeking Relaxing Diversion tasks identified in the Twitter discussion.
- 17. Work Hard and Achieve strategy types shared on Twitter.
- 18. Solving the Problem breakdown of strategies shared via Twitter.
- 19. Reference to Others summary of strategies revealed via the Twitter discussion.
- 20. 15 top mindful tips for research collaboration.
- 21. Being present. • How do I want to collaborate? • What is it that a future collaborator is asking me? • Why do they want me to be a part of their team? • What contribution can I make? • Do we have a shared understanding of this?
- 22. Self-awareness of commitment. • How can I contribute? • When can I contribute? • How can others be included? • How can I come back to awareness? • What am I aware of? • How can I be and sense while suspending judgement?
- 23. Listen non-judgementally. • How can I be gentle and non-judgemental with myself? • With others? • Am I listening? • Have I heard? • Do I need to clarify?
- 24. Build relationships. • Do we have similar values? • How do we approach time, working with others, respect of being an academic? • How do I and can you learn from each other? • How are the relationships building? • How do I understand how others work? • Who do I need to gather around me? • How can I nurture others and build a good research collaboration culture?
- 25. Learn how you can best utilise time together. • How can I be present while exploring my own and team members approach to collaboration? • How are we going to listen to one another? • How can an open approach support the collaborations development – relationship and addressing outcomes? • What are you going to do with what you have learnt? • Who is completing the work? • How can this be negotiated?
- 26. Mutual respect. • How can I connect on a regular basis with getting to know my team members? • How can I frame my thoughts to display a mutual respect? • How do I authentically want to engage with others?
- 27. Flow. • What do I need to enable flow? • What happens when I am in the state of flow? • What happens when the team is in a state of flow?
- 28. Connect, breathe and smile. • In what ways can I connect with my colleagues? • How can I show care and compassion for myself as I work with my colleagues? • What is unexplored? • What might be possible in new ways of being in the collaboration? • What can I learn about myself? • How can I connect to my breath?
- 29. Book yourself. • How can I inhabit a sense of well-being in any given moment by being true to myself and the tasks I need to complete? • How can I take care for myself and be mindful of time commitments, competing deadlines, and the collaboration? • When will I complete the work? • What do I need to do to make this happened? • What are the challenges or blockers for me?
- 30. Boundaries: Clear roles and responsibilities, and time frames. • What boundaries do I need to establish to take care of myself? • Of my team members? • What boundaries need to be set for the collaboration?
- 32. Always learn. Be curious. • How can a curious stance support me? • What can I learn from others about myself? • How can I add value to others and they add value to you?
- 33. Learn who you can collaborate with. • What can I learn about myself? • What can I learn about others? • How can I develop my skill set in collaborating and in research?
- 34. Hatch plans that excite you. • What excites me? • Who excites me? • What ideas excite me? • What gives me energy? • What is energy zapping? • How can I be self-aware of these energy levels and how they impact my contribution?
- 35. Care. • How can I care for others while also showing self-care? • How can I take care in the moment? • What does this look like for me?
- 36. Have an exit plan. • What happens when you pay attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally, in relation to the research collaboration? Your contribution? Your place? The impact on your mind and body? • What can you learn about this? • What do you need to do? • Who do you need to speak to? • What actions do you need to take?
- 37. Q&A. • What have you learnt today that you would like to put into practice now? Continue connecting: • hello@exploreandcreateco.com • NLemon@swin.edu.au • Twitter and Instagram @exploreandcreateco @rellypops @MindfulAcademic
Editor's Notes
- Welcome Intro My background Outline of the presentation: Competiveness and current climate What is Mindfulness 15 mindful tips – all about choice and self awareness
- The university is a game. It has rules, transparent and hidden. Some of these rules are though, essentially driven by competitiveness, much akin to the notion of hunger games. We know the university is a stressful place. We are constantly measured.
- Collaborations in the higher education context are now more than ever a part of expectation. In higher education as an academic, we are asked to perform in our role as collaborators across a variety of areas (Macfarlane, 2017). We work with colleagues as part of a team in learning and teaching, within a department and/or faculty, across the university for research, with other institutions and industry partners, and in our everyday activities such as meetings, marking and moderation, curriculum planning, policy enactment and development, and even problem solving for student experiences. Although, this is an important action amongst the areas we work across as an academic, in the contemporary higher education context the feelings of silos, independence and loneliness or isolation still exists (Back, 2016; Smith, 2015). We see this through the acts of individualisation of performance, closed office doors, colleagues not visible, and the ever-present working from home being used as a strategy to cope with pressures and a competitive environment (Back, 2016; Gill, 2010). I call this the ‘silo effect’. This presents us with a confusing and complicated environment to navigate. How does one approach research collaborations mindfully? How we learn to navigate the competitive nature of research? What character do we play in collaborations? How do we become more mindful in approaching research collaborations? Do we have choice?
- As with the hunger games and the audition phase, much like when we come together for a collaboration, we reveal are genuine persona, and the “’real’ selves neatly fit the persona that slot that casting director are looking to fill” (Layfield, 2013, para 4). It is through conversations that we reveal who we are and what we want to be in the collaboration. We construct our true selves as a representative of the particular group persona that we think will be valuable to our colleagues. T he character we play can vary depending on who we are working with, what is to be invested, and the relationships that exist or wish to exist or indeed may be developed. There is a construction of one’s identity according the process and desire of the context. Who is watching can complicate the layers of which self is revealed (Layfield, 2013) – senior staff, manger, university, external stakeholders, yourself, etc. We enact a noticing of self in the mask we wear. As Mason (2002) says “when we do notice, it is often mixed up with evaluation, judgement, or self-justification” (p.29). This is ever present in the higher education setting collaboration arena.
- Wendy story – ECR, 2 years out of PhD Ask to come on board with a tender application with senior staff members across mutilple disciplines. Exciting. Wow they have asked me. A meeting was set. Come with your ideas. Wendy comes prepared. She shares her ideas. Her methodlogy considerations. They happen to build from her PhD and a small seeding grant she has successfully gained internally. She shares some thoughts about other people from another institution who would strengthen the team. All her ideas are accpeted with entusisums. She’s feeling really excited. Motivated. They really value me she says. Then a few days latter an email comes. Its from one of the team members. Oh cool, can’t wait to see what ideas are here. Reads. The heart begins to accelerate, her stomach begins to turn, knots are forming. Wendy reads the tender application. It is her work. But her name is not mentioned. She is not cited. She is not mentioned at all. Then she reads the team member structure. Her name is not on it at all. Oh this must be a mistake she thinks. So she inquires. I think there maybe a mistake, my name is missing. No no mistake, you don’t have the track record. We’ll pop you down as a person to collect the data. Wendy calls me. She’s had a sleepless night. She tells me what has happened. Can I ask you for advice? I’m devasted. I’m hurt. I’m angry. I can’t beelive people work like this. I can’t believe this has happened to me. Where to now? Wendy has done one of the most crucical steps to disrupting the hunger games. She seeks advice from a trusted colleague. She shares her story, and she processes. She then talks through what steps she can take. Another key element. She can stay in the collaboration, she can exit gracefully now at this stage, she can sit silently and be assocaited to the tender application and hope it doesn’t get up/but secretly worry of what if it does, she can raise the issue in a professional manner (I messages) and withdraw her particiation. Wendy decides to raise the issue, and leave the collabroation. She also knows in herself that she needs to now ask questions up front about what her role will be. What others are expecting of her. And she is now aware of approaching collabroation invites with a curosity – what might be possible – rather than with a “yes” because performance indicators tell us we should be collabroating.
- All centred around choice. Choice in how you want to be. How you want to approach your connections and collaborations.
- Mindfulness is awareness, cultivated by paying attention in a sustained and particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally” (Kabat-Zinn, 2016, p.1). It is one of many approaches that can support our relationships to others and the world. I always approach a research collaboration with being present, to be true to myself, my commitment, and to others I am going to work with.
- In each moment, we can be present and self-aware of what is happening. Of course, we all come at this with different lived experiences. Being self-aware, including awareness to the commitment of the research collaboration, so that participation is an act of kindness toward self, not something that we regret or moves us to be hard on our self.
- When you begin paying attention to what is on your mind, you rapidly discover that basically everything is a judgement, of one kind or another. Enacting an ability to listen with care and compassion, and know when to model, or directly pass on best practice, and display an openness to learn together. Research collaborations require non–judgemental listening is a part of the approach.
- Find collaborators that you enjoy the company of as individuals, and as a collective, personally as much as professionally.
- My most successful collaborations honour a negation of how we work together best. Often this is about a shared space for writing and storage of files (everyone has access, everyone can contribute anytime, anywhere); we know how we work best together face to face (usually this is centred around idea generation and the art of conversation); we action what we say we will do when we said we will do it, and if we can’t we let each other know sooner rather than later. Embracing the chance to work with diverse colleagues – have an openness that you can learn from everyone, even if you are mentoring them or they are more experienced. Trust develops this way.
- In research collaborations, it is essential to form a mutual respect, and an openness to be honest.
- Invest small, then invest big to support flow – capacity to work together, to produce, to generate ideas, to be ethical, to deliver what is promised, to work to a budget, to meet deadlines, to write, to report, to disseminate in different methods beyond the project report.
- For any research collaboration, whether I am a leading or a team member, I make sure I connect with others. This is vital for building the personal and professional links, common interests, ways of working, and awareness of strengths and weaknesses. It is crucial at the beginning phase which includes the “can I work with you” stage. Breathing, and being aware of it, brings us back to self. It is one ways of paying attention to the sensations of the body and mind. It is especially powerful for those newly connecting to mindful practices. And a smile is a powerful gesture to non-verbally connect with others. It shows so much.
- When working in a collaboration I like to forward plan. This helps with my anxieties and for being present with what the collaboration needs to achieve and by when. I like there to be a plan for all the steps and actions, then these to be allocated times frames, and then have these booked into the diary. This is all attached to booking myself. I can then book the time into my diary over the days, weeks, months with time attached to a specific task that helps meet an activity deadline and relieves my anxiety around contributing to the collaboration, encouraging me to be present in what I need to do while being aware of what other team members are doing.
- Establish the ground rules and expectations for all members of the team and do this face-to-face initially. Think smart about alignment to other areas of academic life. Think about balance with teaching load and how the areas can overlap and support one another.
- An openness to learn about yourself, about others, and about how you work together as a research collaboration should always be present. Intellectual disagreements are good, they allow for more exploration and learning both personally and professionally.
- The only way you learn who you can collaborate with is to explore this. Be open to opportunities but aware of what is involved – professionally and personally. Work with those you admire.
- Work with ideas and in collaborations that excite you.
- Care but don't do emotional heavy lifting and solving for others, empower them. In being mindful in the moment, it is possible for the next moment to be hugely different, as there is opportunity for you to be aware and not impose anything on it in advance. Taking care in the moment can have a remarkable effect on the next, and future.
- Have a self-awareness that at times you need an exit plan, strategy to leave the research collaboration as it is not healthy or positive for your mental health and/or career.