How can I avoid a hostile writing or research team?
You may be invited to join a writing or research team. This is great news, especially if you are a graduate student or junior faculty member, because other team members may have experience in writing and publishing.
Nevertheless, it’s important to make sure that the team fosters a welcoming, emotionally safe, and productive environment for you.
What are the components of a hostile writing or research team?
This is an unhealthy environment and might include:
• an unwelcoming atmosphere
• backbiting, gossip, or malicious comments
• consistent antagonism towards your ideas or your work
• some team members are “insiders” and others are marginalized
• prejudice or discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.
• fear of speaking out
Such an environment can result in health or mental health problems, self-doubt, reduced productivity, lost access to academic opportunities, and severed personal relationships with colleagues and mentors. It’s a serious problem.
How can I avoid getting into a hostile writing or research team?
If you are not yet in that environment, that is great news! It is easier to avoid hostile environments before you get into them than it is to leave a hostile environment once you’re already in.
Before you accept a graduate program, academic job, or specific writing or research team project, ask around. You can ask current students and colleagues “what are the best and the most challenging aspects of this program or project?” and listen carefully to their replies.
If you have a chance to interview with team members or observe a writing or research team meeting, note how well team members seem to get along. Do you get a sense that they like working together?
It is also important that you know yourself and what gets you “hooked” or “triggered” in negative ways in work environments. What seriously bothers you may not bother others, and vice versa. Trust your own gut feelings.
Do not join if there is any hint of unethical or fraudulent activity by any of the team members. Your current and future academic reputation is at stake if you are a co-author of an academic publication, even if your specific role was not involved with data analysis, recruitment of participants, etc.
What if I’m already in a hostile writing or research environment?
The sooner you leave that team, the better. If you talk to the team leader in person, send them a short follow-up email as well so you have written proof that you are withdrawing from the team.
Be sure to thank them for the opportunity but add that you cannot join the team at this point in time.
You do not need to go into details about the reason you are leaving. Do not accuse them. You can say you are withdrawing for health or mental health reasons (which is true if the environment is causing you distress) or because you are overwhelmed with other commitments at work or at home.
If you have already committed to certain tasks for the research team, you will need to negotiate which parts you can still complete. If you have a paid position on the team, you may need to give notice weeks or months ahead of time. It may be helpful to the team if you offer to train your successor.
If there was an understanding that you would be a co-author on publications by the research team, the team leader may decide to leave you out of publications in progress depending on how much of the work has not yet been completed. If you do offer to complete writing tasks, do them as quickly as possible so that you are done with that project.
If you are concerned about being associated with the team due to unethical or fraudulent behavior, see if there is a diplomatic way to inform the team leader that you don’t need your name listed on publications in progress.
Remember that the team members may be asked about your performance when you join other writing or research groups, when you are being evaluated by your department chair, or when you apply for future jobs or grants.
Do not gossip about the team experience to other students or colleagues. As much as possible you want to leave on good terms.