To be a successful collaborator, there are certain traits all people need: integrity, candor, and a desire to do the right thing. So says Alice E. Till, Ph.D., AAPS’ immediate past president. Character is primary.
Are there differences for women? While we all differ, in general, women tend to be more collaborative by nature, while men tend to be more competitive. Till encourages women to leverage the comfort they have in sharing and helping others when collaborating.
In The Role of Gender in Team Collaboration and Performance,1 authors Julia Bear and Anita Woolley report, “Recent evidence strongly suggests that team collaboration is greatly improved by the presence of women in the group, and this effect is primarily explained by benefits to group processes.” They go on to say, “Furthermore, the positive effects of gender diversity on group processes are extremely relevant to scientific teams, since scientific discoveries are increasingly the products of team collaboration.”
In a Washington Post article2 on the expanding role of women in nuclear negotiations, female nuclear experts at the U.S. State Department point out that female leaders can often have a more collaborative style. According to Laura Kennedy, U.S. ambassador to the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament, women are “perhaps more attuned to working on teams, which I think is vitally important if you’re going to have a good negotiation.”
Some environments may not encourage collaboration, and turf wars and a desire to receive credit rule. However, more and more companies want team players, and many nurture a collaborative culture. For example, in 2015 Novartis presented a webinar, Leadership Roundtable—Developing Leaders in the Science Community, outlining their monthly meetings designed to encourage development of soft skills, being a team player, and openly sharing perspectives and experiences.
In the end, for the good of the project, Till says team members need to think, “It’s not about me. It’s about the team.”
For any team, Till echoes Rajesh Krishna’s advice from the
June Career Success feature: Get to know your teammates on a more personal level. Personal relationships are critical, and Till recommends going the extra mile by getting to know teammates beyond the teamwork and learning what your colleagues are dealing with. It’s easy to quickly judge difficult teammates, but it can be revealing to get to know and understand them.
FOR EMERGING PROFESSIONALS
For an emerging professional who may find herself on an all-male team with little or no experience collaborating with women, Till has the following advice:
- Get to know your teammates.
- Remember that you are a contributing member of the team.
- Always do your homework and your part of the teamwork.
- Speak up when you have something to add to the conversation.
- Know what you’re talking about.
- Stand firm.
- Follow up on anything you didn’t understand in the meeting, perhaps asking a colleague during a break or afterwards.
University programs concentrate on building qualifications in science, but teamwork also requires soft skills like social intelligence and communication skills, which you often need to pursue on your own. Networking organizations and groups like Toastmasters can complement your own efforts to develop these skills.
Till encourages women to be aware of what is going on in the profession. If you are networking, making yourself visible to others, and being aboveboard, opportunities will come your way.
And for the first time you’re asked to lead a team, Till shares the following from her experience:
- Talk less; give others time to talk. Don’t always give your opinion first.
- Try to get each member to speak up; go around the table if necessary.
- Consider the cultural and language backgrounds of your teammates; not all idioms or gestures will convey.
- Be aware of who’s participating and who’s on board. Be tuned into vibrations, body language, etc.
- Make sure everyone agrees on decisions and that everyone has an opportunity to speak up.
- Admit mistakes and apologize for any gaffes.
- Keep domineering team members in check. “Is there someone we haven’t heard from,” is useful to move on to someone else.
- Be inclusive and open to new ways of doing things.
Till believes that today’s women leaders are ambassadors for other women. “They have the responsibility to be a role model for women who follow.”
References
Resources
The Athena CORE10: Leadership Reimagined
What Is Social Intelligence? Why Does It Matter? Psychology Today
Toastmasters International
15 Quotes to Inspire Great Teamwork, Inc.
StrengthsFinder 2.0