September 2007
Issue 51

SCN hESC Culture Training Course

The following trainees were chosen to participate in the SCN's hESC Culture training course at the University of Toronto,
September 17 - 19: 2007:

Akitsu Hotta (Ellis lab)
Nicolas Huot (Tremblay lab)
Jaswinder Khattra (Marra lab)
Vanessa Millar (Kallos lab)
Shayesta Seenundun (Dilworth lab)
Julien Verneau (Jervis lab)
Travis Webber (Kieffer lab)
Akihiro Yamashita (Rancourt lab)
Yi Zhu (Levy lab; Training Program in Regenerative Medicine)
Nichole Diaz (Eggan lab; New York Stem Cell Foundation, International Consortium of Stem Cell Networks)
Christian Mueller (Nayernia lab; North East England Stem Cell Institute, International Consortium of Stem Cell Networks)
Kanchan Sarda (Deb lab; Stem Cell Research Forum of India, International Consortium of Stem Cell Networks)

Click here to download a copy of the course schedule.

While Doing Your Science…Monitor Your Soft Skills!

Recently, there has been much focus on the limited number of quality academic jobs in the Life Sciences[1].  While the number of graduate students has doubled in the past decade, faculty positions have remained steady, leaving many graduates and postdocs to consider alternate career paths.  Industry has increased its absorption of grads from 26% to 34%. However, they suggest that many PhD grads are not adequately trained for advancement in industry.  The basic problem is that academically trained researchers are often too focused on research to see the big picture of the company.  Most researchers are not trained in management and psychology and do not understand organizational dynamics and how to be effective in multifaceted organizations that are both business- and science-oriented[2].  They have not been exposed to the skill development necessary to lead for success in today’s ever-changing business environment.  Many shy away from internal politics and do not understand their company’s values.  Negative behaviors, such as micromanagement, turfism, insufficient resource procurement, over-engineering, escalation of time estimates and information hoarding, are rampant in science-oriented companies.

Questions Asked by Industry Recruiters: Can you tell me about the team project that you completed? How were you able to motivate others on the team to carry out their job? ·    Can you provide an example of how your team resolved an issue? ·    Can you describe an example of how you were able to resolve conflict within the team that may have come up during the project?

 

To be successful in industry, students need to become aware of and focused on the concept of mission critical projects.  They need to be able to communicate effectively, to cooperate and work in diverse environments.  Although scientists can be highly valued in companies, they cannot work in isolation, but instead must be prepared to work in multidisciplinary teams and report to managers with little scientific background.  In today’s stripped down, competitive world, grads must be ready to become generalists and to assume duties previously performed by others.  With industry’s focus on product development, grads must be able to work with internal or external customers.  Most importantly, they must be prepared to take on leadership roles, where their future success is predicated not on their scientific prowess but instead upon their ability to achieve success by leading teams.  In these situations, research managers and/or leaders must justify their efforts and results to various funding sources and to people responsible for other critical resources: they often have to fight for support of their ideas.

As much as universities are bastions of knowledge in the areas of management and leadership, academic culture establishes researchers (and research trainees by default) as ‘entrepreneurs’, delegating responsibility for much of their own research and career management issues.  Formal soft skill training falls between the cracks.  This is compounded by departmental “silos”, the need for academic rigor and the “parochial interests” of academic supervisors[3]. Many argue, perhaps correctly, that graduate programs should not lean towards formal soft skill training, since the goal of the PhD is to discover new knowledge, and not to be normalized by a generic curriculum[4]

Graduate Soft Skill Training Personal Effectiveness Organization Experimental Design Lab Book Time Management Multi-Tasking Deadlines Confidence/Decision Making Self-Direction Independence Competitive Intelligence Literature Review Conferences Reflective Thinking Strategic Planning Literature/Database Search Creativity/Problem Solving Brainstorming Collegial Interactions People Skills Communication Presentations, Teaching Papers, Proposals Team Work Lab Interdependence Committees Networking Society Memberships Conferences Leadership Demonstrating Mentoring

Recently, however, there has been a calling for the development of training programs, which superimpose scientific and management training[5].  Does this mean that the PhD is worthless and students need to go back to school and get an MBA?  The answer is no, but PhD students need to pay closer attention to their own soft skill development.  The most sought after skills in industry include communication (oral/written), interpersonal relations, self-management, teamwork (interdependence), decision-making and creative problem-solving.  Some students might say: “I already have these skills!”  Well if they do, they often do not display it.  Others might

Potential PDP Goals Actualization Self-Analysis Public Speaking Networking Play a Leadership Role Education Managment Course Find a Suitable Mentor Improve IT Skills Practise Negotiation Career Planning Identify Niche(s) Join an Organization Interview Skills Community Outreach Strategic Volunteering Coach/Mentor

say: “The only thing I know is how to do is western blots; how can I be competitive?”  While getting another degree can be one solution, industry is more interested in practice.  Hence, there are many things that students can do to become more competitive.  First, they need to take control of their own competencies and competitiveness.  They need to take advantage of their resource rich university. They need to become better networkers and to seek out mentors and/or colleagues who can assist them with their development.  Soft skill development is already being practiced in their training programs.  Students need to recognize its value, embrace it, record it and promote it.  This can be done by maintaining a portfolio of their development; also know as a professional development plan (PDP)[6].  Popular in industry, the PDP includes a strategic plan for professional development, in addition to a portfolio of achievements.  The PDP helps students to become responsible for and have greater control in their own learning.  It also helps students to develop skills in strategic planning and reflective practise.  But most importantly, the PDP can be used as a marketing document.  Through the effective use of the PDP, students can demonstrate that they are goal-oriented and mission-directed, making them more attractive candidates for industry.

For those students who plan to go into academia and think that this soft skill stuff is phooey, it’s not.  Strong soft skills are needed now more than ever in academia, where there is an increased expectation of multi-centre, multi-disciplinary projects[7].  Previously, the primary mode of doing research (i.e. mode 1) was within the single investigator, single institution framework.  While this type of research still exists, increasingly complex modes of research (i.e. mode 2)[8] have emerged due to the involvement of: (1) multiple disciplines and/or institutions, (2) partnerships with individuals, communities, or industry, (3) formation of organizing structures, such as networks or teams, (4) requirements that research deliver multiple funding partners, and (5) enhanced expectations for accountability and knowledge transfer.  In today’s competitive funding scene, principal investigators also need to justify their efforts to a variety of stakeholders and they must fight for support of their ideas.  No matter what path students plan to take, there is no time like the present to work on improving our soft skills!

Executive Committee
Teleconference
2 pm - 4 pm
September 17, 2007

Board of Directors
Teleconference
1 pm - 3 pm
October 3, 2007

For questions on Network Meetings, please contact Lee Freeman

Contact Lori Barron at
lori@stemcellnetwork.ca