This document discusses the importance of strategic networking to support research career development. It defines networking and describes different types of networks, including operational, personal, and strategic networks. Personal learning networks are emphasized as a way to take charge of one's own development through online and social media connections. The document provides examples of personal learning networks and outlines a networking cycle of preparing, interacting, and following up. It addresses whether introverts can network effectively and defines collaboration as working with others to produce something.

1. Strategic networking
to support your
research career
development
Dr Lynne Goodacre

2. Networking
Interacting with others to exchange
information and develop
professional or social contacts.
Oxford English Dictionary

3. Networking perspectives
Networking for me is like……….

4. Why network
• New insights, perspectives and approaches
• Personal development & learning
• Making connections & forming collaborations
• Intelligence and horizon scanning
• Visibility of self or team/service
• Building and developing CV
• Groups you are members of
• Networks you belong to

5. Types of networks
• Harvard Business Review Jan 2007
Operational Personal Strategic
Purpose Getting work done
efficiently maintaining
the capacities and
functions required of the
group
Enhancing personal &
professional development;
providing referrals to useful
information and contacts
Figuring out future priorities and
challenges; getting stakeholder
support for them
Location and
temporal orientation
Contacts mostly internal
& orientated towards
current demands
Contacts mostly external &
orientated towards current
interests & future
possibilities
Contacts internal and external
and orientated towards the
future
Players and
recruitment
Key contacts are
prescribed mostly by the
task and organisational
structure so it is clear
who is relevant
Key contacts mostly
discretionary; not always
clear who is relevant
Key contacts follow from the
strategic context
Network attributes
and key behaviours
Depth; building strong
working relationships
Breadth: reaching out to
contacts
Leverage: creating inside-outside
links

6. Personal learning networks
• Building and maintaining PLNs with deliberate intention to
learn, share and collaborate
• Moving away from soul focus on academic courses
• Online, flexible, social media, international
• Relies on being proactive and taking charge of own
development
• Relies on communicating ideas and having meaningful
interactions

7. Personal Learning Networks
MOOCs
Future learn
• Measuring and valuing health (nov)
• Improving healthcare through clinical research
edX
• How to survive your PhD
Communities of practice
• School for Healthcare Radicals

8. Personal Learning Networks
Blogs.
• The Research Whisperer
• Write For Research
• LSE Impact Blog
Twitter and twitter chats
• We communities twitter chats and Twitterversity
• Pre chat reading
• Storify to curate the content of the chat
• CPD certificates for those participating

9. Strategic networking ….
……… networking with a defined goal.
Involves being
1. Strategic – analysing your needs aligned to your goals/aspirations
(applying for a fellowship or funding application)
2. Tactical – planning your networking activities
3. Operational – putting your plans into action, make it happen.

11. Personal network mapping
In terms of research
Working on your own:
1. What do you hope to be doing in 3 years time? What is your
goal
2. With reference to you 3 year strategic goal
Draw a community map of your current networks & connections

12. Personal network mapping
With reference to your goal:
3. Score the importance of each relationship to your aim
Use a scale of 1-5
1 = not important
5 = very important
4. Score the strength of each relationship
1 = weak
2 = strong
5. What gaps need to be addressed, what is missing
Which weak relationships need to be strengthened
Actions to address gaps

13. Networking cycle
1.
Prepare
2.
Interact
3. Post-
process
Why is this important? What do I want to achieve?
Who is going to be there? Who do I hope to connect with?
Share
Be interested
Be present
Follow-up
Thank you
Share

14. Do you need to be an extrovert?
• The Shy Connector

16. Definitions
Collaboration
The act of working with someone
to produce something
Oxford English Dictionary

17. Collaboration
A more transactional process than
networking

18. Collaboration
Essential for majority of clinically based research
• Accessing relevant skills and expertise
• Increasingly inter-professional and cross-
sectoral
• PPI fundamental to informing research
questions as well as conducting the research
• Fundamental to successful grant applications

19. Footwear Design Challenge
Royal College of Art, Methods (design challenge)
Fashion designer
Occupational therapist
Shoe designers
Women with RA
Podiatrists
Orthotists
Arthritis Research UK (funder)
Differing cultures, language
expectations, ways of working