Working Together

Working together: yourself

Helping others

You share information, knowledge and experience, and offer offer help when colleagues need it.

What do you do?

Ask a colleague whether you can help, for example when you notice that they are getting stuck or struggling to finish something.
Check before you make a suggestion or share your experience to see whether your colleague is open to that.
Proactively share important or interesting information with your colleagues.

What do you find difficult?

“I have a tendency to 'rescue' people or take over when someone gets stuck or asks for help.”
“I don’t want to interfere too much, so I take a passive stance when it comes to offering help.”

Flexibility

You respond constructively to other people’s ideas and adjust your own opinion based on new information or arguments.

What do you do?

Actively ask for ideas and opinions from others to test or adjust your own opinions and ideas.
Think of how you can meet the other person’s ideas, building on their ideas (‘yes, and…’), instead of opposing them (‘yes, but…’).
There are many roads leading to Rome – remain open to other people’s ideas that can also get you from A to B together

What do you find difficult?

“I’m not easily convinced by others if I’ve already taken the time to think something through.”
“I often get defensive when someone disagrees with me.”
“People often find me too critical.”

Adaptability

You adapt your way of communicating or collaborating to the preferences and needs of others.

What do you do?

Check or ask how someone likes to work, and take this into account in your approach and communication.
Leave the content of the conversation aside if you notice that you are not moving forward, or there is some resistance, and raise this point: ‘I notice that… How is it for you?
Try a different and better suited style or approach if you notice that the collaboration or conversation is not going smoothly.

What do you find difficult?

“I find it difficult when colleagues have a completely different work approach than I do.”
“I find it difficult when people don’t just say what they want or how they feel about something.”
“I do notice when communication or collaboration is not smooth, but I don’t know how to change it.”

Working together with others

Search for new collaboration

You take the initiative to establish relationships or collaborations with people outside your own field of expertise, department or organisation.

What do you do?

See what expertise you lack for a project or research and look internally or externally for people with this experience.
Discuss with colleagues from other departments or institutes topics that can be interesting to work on together.
Focus on co-creation in your approach to collaboration.

What do you find difficult?

“I have little contact with peers.”
“How do I make sure that collaboration moves beyond good intentions and actually takes off?”

Focus on the common goal

You emphasize the common goal and shared interests in your own projects and initiatives and encourage others to contribute to them.

What do you do?

Make clear how your project or initiative is linked to the goals of the organisation.
Show where the interests of colleagues and groups involved align and where not, and encourage an open dialogue.
Actively invite people to provide input and contribute to your plans or projects.

What do you find difficult?

“I find it difficult to get everyone aligned when people have different needs or expectations.”
“How do I convince people to make time and contribute?”
“How do I stay focused when the goals or priorities of the organisation change?”

Involving others

You involve people with different perspectives and opinions to contribute in order to get support and to find better solutions.

What do you do?

Map all the stakeholders you are dealing with and their interests, and meet with them.
Ask people with different perspectives, opinions, roles, and experiences for input for your idea or plan.
Check with the right people whether there is adequate support for your plan or proposal.

What do you find difficult?

“At what point have I sufficiently involved others and can I proceed?”
“I’m sometimes surprised by other people’s resistance to something I propose.”
“I often already know how I want to do something, and I’m no longer open to other ideas or outcomes.”

Working together in a team

Leveraging diversity

You build a team with a wide range of talents, knowledge and skills, make use of these talents and create valuable learning experiences for everyone.

What do you do?

Think about what competencies you need in the team, and make sure you have a good mix of knowledge, experience, and talents.
Empower people by giving them tasks or roles that match their specific qualities and preferences.
Invite people to learn from each other, for example by sharing knowledge, jointly evaluating activities or projects, or working together with a colleague.

What do you find difficult?

“I see too little diversity in my team, but I don’t know how to change this.”
“I don’t know enough about the preferences of people in my team.”

Setting goals together

Together with the team members, you determine the goals, how to achieve those goals, and each person’s role and contribution.

What do you do?

Share the goals of the organisation, and together translate this into ideas and goals for your own team.
Jointly look at the planning, what you need, and potential obstacles to achieving the team goals.
Make sure that each goal is assigned to someone in the team, and that everyone has a role that matches their competencies and learning needs.

What do you find difficult?

“How much space do I give and when do I steer or make decisions?”
“I’ve already thought about the goals and priorities and tend to leave little room for ideas from the team.”

Working with different styles

You show different behavioural styles and adapt your own leadership style to the situation or person to achieve the best result.

What do you do?

You switch between a coaching, directive, supporting, and delegating leadership style.
You take into account task maturity and the employee’s motivation in how you steer and guide.
In leading your team, you take into account the team’s development and challenges.

What do you find difficult?

“When do I use which leadership style and behaviour?”
“How do I make sure that my using a different style is not a ‘trick’, but that it’s authentic and also suits me?”
“When under pressure, I can completely move into my preferred style, even when this is not helpful.”

Conflict Management

You overcome disagreements and different views between people and prevent conflicts or help to resolve them in a constructive way.

What do you do?

Create space for healthy disagreement within the team.
In case of conflict, talk to the employees involved and encourage open communication, understanding, and personal responsibility.
Remain calm, even if the discussion becomes emotional, help employees to feel comfortable, and treat them with respect.
Clarify the conflict issue and underlying interests and needs, and help people to find a solution.

What do you find difficult?

“I don’t really know how to respond when the discussion becomes heated and emotional.”
“What can people expect from me as a supervisor in the event of conflict?”
“I only become aware of conflicts when they’re getting out of hand. Why do I not notice these things earlier?”

Working together in the organisation

Bringing people together

You engage and mobilise (groups of) people around a shared challenge, ambition or goal.

What do you do?

Connect others, with energy and enthusiasm, to the ambition and goals of the organisation.
Use powerful and personal stories and anecdotes that spark people’s imagination.
Organise input and decision-making so that everyone can make a contribution and a strong base of support is created.

What do you find difficult?

“I’m not a great story-teller, and I prefer to leave that to someone else.”
“What can people expect from me as a supervisor in the event of conflict?”
“How can I realise broadly supported decisions without them turning into compromises that no one is happy with?”

External collaboration

You establish strategic partnerships or alliances with external parties aimed at long-term (societal) impact.

What do you do?

Initiate and maintain valuable contacts and relationships, and participate in strategic networks outside the university.
Create win-win situations with external partners by looking at common benefits and interests, and everyone’s expertise and added value.
Make clear agreements about intentions, objectives, and the type of partnership with all parties involved.

What do you find difficult?

“It is often difficult to reach an agreement on how to collaborate.”
“I’m not visible enough to external parties.”

Shared leadership

You are open to peer collaboration and work together on the basis of shared responsibility and equality.

What do you do?

Together with your colleagues, define your shared task or situation, and what qualities and leadership style are required
Be prepared to set aside your formal role or position, and to share or delegate your leadership task.
Recognise and acknowledge each other’s qualities, and create an atmosphere of trust in collaboration, in which you support and challenge one another.

What do you find difficult?

“If there is more than one leader, I find it difficult to take up my own role.”
“I find it difficult to step back; I feel responsible on the basis of my position.”