Learning to Prioritize Our Collaborative Opportunities: Overcoming the Bright Shiny Object Syndrome

Details

• Alternative Title:
  J Contin Educ Health Prof
• Personal Author:
  Brownson, Ross C. ; Adams, Danielle R. ; Anyane-Yeboa, Adjoa ; Powell, Byron J.
• Description:
  There are multiple opportunities to participate in team science, leading to long-term benefits (eg, research impact, novelty, productivity). Scholars are not well-trained in how to choose among these opportunities, often learning via trial and error. The ability to navigate collaborations is framed by several principles and considerations: (1) locus of control (what control we have over our own behavior) and how it affects academic job satisfaction; (2) the scarcity mindset that may manifest as a result of the fear of missing future opportunities; and (3) power dynamics and inequities (eg, among women and racial/ethnic minority individuals). To provide a more systematic approach to weighing academic opportunities, the authors offer 30 questions across six overlapping domains. The domains include: the big picture (eg, Is the opportunity a building block for your career?), context (eg, How much do you have on your plate?), person (eg, Who is asking?), team (eg, Is the team productive?), role (eg, Will you lead or assist?), and outcomes (eg, Might the opportunity lead to publications and/or grants?). We offer advice for decision-making. For example, when presented with an opportunity involving a significant time commitment, it is useful to allow at least 24 hours before deciding. The authors offer advice and sample language for communicating your decision. Although every situation is different, there are several fundamental issues and questions to consider when one is presented with a new opportunity-these questions are suggested for mentors and mentees.
• Keywords:
  Decision-making Mentoring Opportunities Training
• Source:
  J Contin Educ Health Prof.
• Pubmed ID:
  37706672
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC10937331
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  P50 CA244431/CA/NCI NIH HHSUnited States/ ; P30 DK056341/DK/NIDDK NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R25DK123008/DK/NIDDK NIH HHSUnited States/ ; P50 CA244433/CA/NCI NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U48 DP006395/DP/NCCDPHP CDC HHSUnited States/ ; U48DP006395/ACL/ACL HHSUnited States/ ; T32 MH019960/MH/NIMH NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R25 DK123008/DK/NIDDK NIH HHSUnited States/ ; P30 DK092950/DK/NIDDK NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R25 MH080916/MH/NIMH NIH HHSUnited States/
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8b288fe71bcf4bc2de4294aa94e0fe82f315b5ff3ce82db08d5c5c9ca71decf936d96d2495ea1e0ef959785b80b2fe5918900ca426a3dbf0c6069e78d3021186
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/151707/cdc_151707_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 84.21 KB ]