Reflections from ASSAR

on undertaking

collaborative research

Lucia Scodanibbio

ASSAR’s learning survey

• September – November 2016

•Questions about • Key learnings

• One’s ASSAR experience

• Working in a consortium

• One’s motivation to be in ASSAR

• 61 respondents• 31 female & 30 male

Most valuable learning

“1. The project has provided me the opportunity to deepen my skills in dealing with stakeholders at the local and national level on issues on climate change.

2. The project provides me the space to think of creative and innovative ways of communicating research findings to different groups of people.

3. I had the chance to represent the project on various workshops and platforms to exhibit research work done by the project.

4. I learnt new methodologies for social research on climate change and food security.

5. I have built great working relationships with researchers from different institutions through the cross regional activities and research.”

Understanding on consortium model

20%

Appreciation of different

types of expertise

24%

Learning something

new: thinking & acting

differently56%

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

New ways ofthinking about& conductingresearch (incl.approaches &

methods)

New content Broadenedunderstanding &

thinking

Importance ofRiU (skills,

uptake,engagement)

Understandinghow a

consortiumworks & ismanaged

Type of interactions that supported the learning

“The weekly digest has been the single most useful process/platform for me to keep abreast of the consortium as it evolves (and know of things I'm not directly involved in but can use).

The face to face meetings have been INVALUABLE every time I've been part of them. They have helped progress papers more than months of online editing/calls.”

“- Training workshops and engagement in actual activities related to specific skills such as TSP, VRA and Stakeholder Mapping Exercise- Webinar and direct consultation with specific experts e.g. comms personnel in terms of writing blogs or short reports - Meeting/personal communication with the experts in related field/methodologies or tools learned - Online material e.g. Oxfam Webpage for VRA, Netmap for Stakeholder Influence Mapping, We Adapt etc. - Reports and papers shared on ASSAR website and weekly digest - Active engagement in developing the tools, implementation and report writing e.g. VRA, Stakeholder mapping, interviews on governance, FGDs, etc.”

Internal meetings (face to face)

24%

Online interactions

21%Trainings, conferences,

seminars17%

Learning from each other

11%

Learning from stakeholders

10%

"Learning by doing"

9%

Fieldwork5%

Literature3%

Top 2 ASSAR highlights/ experiences

Collaborating and learning

across multiple spheres

47%

Interacting with stakeholders & doing RiU

17%

Undertaking work

successfully17%

Other19%

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Face to faceinteractions

Collaborativeresearch across

disciplines &regions

Work with adiverse team

Trainings Undertakingresearch &fieldwork

“Preparing the RiU work stream for our project has been one of the experiences in ASSAR that stands out in my mind, witnessing natural and social scientist work together to see how their research can bring about real world changes has been one of the most valuable experiences that I have had in ASSAR.”

“The first TSP workshop in Ghana in West Africa because I was able to interact with stakeholders which is a rare opportunity for me and let me see the human face of the work we do.Interacting with the student researchers from West Africa, because they are the future of this type of work and it is very rewarding to play any role in helping them achieve success and more opportunities.”

Top 2 challenging moments

Setting up the project

19%

Difficulties of working together

25%

Overwhelming aspect15%

Everyday challenges

26%

Other11%

None 4%

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Relationships& failed

teamwork

Collaborationin practice

Competingdemands on

time

Logistics Setting up theresearch

Managingconflicting

expectations

“1. Usually multiple deadlines accumulating around the same time.2. Matching consortium expectations with institutional expectations(aspirations) and being able to do justice to both.”

“Collaborating with partners with different subject and institutional backgrounds, which resulted in lot of time spent in gaining trust and understanding; Finding common ground in research questions and methodologies as well as the problem of scales in terms of data -climate scientists vis-a vis social scientists.”

“Moving from the RDS phase to the RRP- It was quite difficult to get a common understanding on from where we start the RRP

Same with the TSP- Basically there was an agreement that all ASSAR regions will implement the TSP, but over time, the decision was made by each region to go for TSP or not...”

“It was also challenging to carry own the field work as the communities had to be convinced as to what the benefits of the study will entail for them.”

Most useful part of working in a consortiumAccess to new networks, information, ways of thinking, approaches, funds, research sites…

“Can draw on the consortia's expertise and even senior researchers without having to think twice.”

“Open collaboration, feeling of being equal partners, everybody responsible for what comes out of the project.”

“Exposure to so many different approaches from the natural and social sciences on the topic of climate change adaptation, in such a short time.”

“Cross-learnings and the realisation that people connect at fundamental levels irrespective of their ethnic backgrounds, language, color and all the other prominent differentiators.”

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Difficulties about working in a consortium“Coming to consensus on methods (we actually still haven't done that!). I feel the consortia model doesn't allow for methodological innovation. We tend to fall back on the lowest common denominator -e.g. household surveyors.”

Transaction costs53%

Differences between partners

14%

Politics21%

None7%

Other5%

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Logistics ofworkingtogether

"Too much" Competinginterests,

priorities &agendas

Workingremotely/distance

Building &maintainingtrust &/or

engagement

Timeinvestment

required

“Keeping up/down with multiple institution's pace. So much

is lost in translation while working across different contexts,

disciplines. Too much reporting at too many levels.”

“Too much time spent in conveying ideas and convincing scientists and

partners having different subject backgrounds; sometimes opportunities

are skewed in favour of lead partners (maybe due to nature of the contracts

and funds availability).”

What will need to have happened by the end of ASSAR, for you to feel the most satisfied and fulfilled?

“A few publications, impacted lives of rainfed and forest dependent communities in xxx and have learned the art of carrying out problem oriented and meaningful research instead of research driven by what needs to be published on or what will garner more citations.”

RiU-related gains45%

Academic gains39%

Personal gains

7%

Other9%

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Tentative conclusions & lessons• Choice of partners (& size of consortium) is critical

• Importance of setting up a shared approach at the outset and bringing everyone on board

• Investing in relationships and building and maintaining trust is essential

• Dealing with power issues & politics

• Importance of good leadership

• Importance of full-time people

• Dealing with different working styles & cultures

• Overcoming challenges to work collaboratively

• Avoiding “feelings of isolation” & maintaining connection

• Maintaining motivation

• Avoiding endless demands & feelings of overwhelm

• Dealing with tension around multiple types of aspirations (incl. re time)

• Dealing with tension between research and project management

• Dealing with tension between research & RiU

• Dealing with tension between student interests vs. project requirements

• Dealing with tension between project and institutional requirements

• Being innovative while working together

• Making everyone feel valued

Status & way forward

• Report: What have we learned from working collaboratively in the ASSAR project?

• Finalise publication on survey results using Communities of Practice framing (with Georgina)

• Join Georgina on a contribution for Transformations 2017

• Participate in a joint reflection with CARIAA & BRACED (& FCFA?) on lessons about undertaking research in consortia & what impact this leads to

• Run another ASSAR survey at end of project

Supported by: