Developing my team

Research organisations and research funders recognise the gaps that need to be addressed with regards to EDI within the research environment.

There is a need to reduce this gap with deliberate and conscious action from the researchers who:

  • Lead teams and recruit new team members
  • Enable training and development opportunities
  • Establish inclusive governance structures that include advisory boards, selection panels and relevant research governance and management structures.

Supporting Development

Reflection is important in identifying the gaps within your research environment. Below are some questions extracted from the Government of Canada Research funding website to aid reflections on recruitment and training processes for research projects/programmes. 

  • What process is in place to ensure these opportunities are distributed equitably to eligible team members? 
  • What processes are in place to ensure that unconscious bias does not impact the decisions made about who receives opportunities (conferences, publications, mentoring, etc.)? 
  • Is there funding available for training and development opportunities for which travel, child care, accommodation needs, etc. may need to be paid? How do team members access this funding? How will team members have equitable access to this funding? 
  • What support exists to allow graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty to develop their skill sets/competencies, networks, and CVs? 
  • What types of EDI training activities are available at your institution? 
  • What types of EDI training should the team receive, based on the current level of EDI competencies of team members and the particular context of the team’s work environment (e.g., antiracism, unconscious bias, microaggressions, reconciliation, accommodations in the workplace for individuals with disabilities, etc.)? 
  • How diverse is your team e.g., age, gender, caring responsibilities, ethnicity, culture, disability, socioeconomic background? 
  • Do you understand how these demographic characteristics impact an individual's behaviour e.g., confidence, ability to attend social events, travel implications, ability to work long hours, times they can work, body language, communication 
  • Have you reflected on your own unconscious biases when making judgments about members of your team? 
  • Do you support and encourage all members of your team e.g., application for Fellowships, conference attendance, training opportunities, mentoring? 
  • Do you listen to individual concerns rather than hear the majority view? 
  • Do you investigate, listen, and put in place changes to be inclusive for all individuals and support for any who may need adjustments to overcome barriers to their progression?  Examples of accessibility needs such as recording meetings, software, mental wellbeing, altered times of meetings, mentoring and/or coaching, inclusive social events. 
  • Do you consider the diversity of your team when choosing conferences e.g., in countries that support  LGBTQ+ individuals, child carechildcare facilities, quiet rooms, no alcohol at poster events, hearing loops and wheelchair accessibility for speakers, hybrid conferences? 
  • Do you prepare and support all your team in gaining networking skills? 

Useful Resources

The NIHR Toolkit has a dedicated section called Research Team with helpful and relevant also to non-NIHR research questions to enable further reflections on building, developing and supporting diverse and inclusive teams. 

The Government of Canada website has comprehensive sections focusing both on recruitment as well as training and development of team members. 

The EPSRC Table of Expectations, which is relevant to the entire UKRI, has specific Expectations 2, 3, 4 and 5 focusing on recruitment, environment training and development considerations. A wealth of cross-references and links are provided within that table. 

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