What do you do if your research skills team lacks diverse expertise?

1 Assess your team's strengths and gaps

The first step is to identify what your team can do well and what it needs to improve. You can use a simple tool like a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) to evaluate your team's current situation. Consider factors such as your team's knowledge, skills, experience, interests, goals, resources, and challenges. Ask yourself and your team members questions like: What are our main research questions and objectives? What are the best methods and tools to answer them? What are the potential benefits and risks of our research? What are the areas where we need more expertise or support?

2 Seek external input and feedback

The second step is to reach out to other researchers, experts, or stakeholders who can offer valuable insights, advice, or guidance for your research. You can use different channels and formats to get external input and feedback, such as online forums, surveys, interviews, focus groups, workshops, or peer reviews. The key is to be open-minded and respectful of different opinions and perspectives, and to use them to refine your research questions, methods, and results. You can also learn from other researchers' experiences, best practices, and lessons learned, and apply them to your own context.

3 Expand your team's learning opportunities

The third step is to provide your team with opportunities to learn new skills, methods, or approaches that can enhance their research capabilities. You can use various sources and modes of learning, such as online courses, webinars, podcasts, books, articles, or blogs. You can also encourage your team to attend conferences, seminars, or workshops where they can network with other researchers, exchange ideas, and discover new trends and developments. You can also create a culture of learning within your team by setting clear goals, expectations, and incentives for professional development, and by fostering a supportive and collaborative environment.

4 Embrace diversity and inclusion

The fourth step is to embrace diversity and inclusion as core values and practices for your research skills team. Diversity means recognizing and respecting the differences among your team members and other researchers in terms of their backgrounds, experiences, identities, cultures, beliefs, and perspectives. Inclusion means ensuring that everyone feels valued, respected, and heard, and that they can contribute to the research process and outcomes. You can promote diversity and inclusion by creating a safe and positive space for dialogue and debate, by encouraging participation and engagement, and by celebrating achievements and contributions.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?