Tools for Generating Positive Team Cohesion in High Intensity Field Trips

Abstract:

As research becomes more computer assisted, and semi-automated models are refined to inform predictions at multiple scales, the observations and measurements humans make in the field setting are often an expensive budget item with a payback on a much longer time scale than modeling results or annual reporting. However, these intensive measurements form an important boundary condition linking the real world to numerical approximations of it. Due to financial constraints (such as the extraordinary costs of remote field logistics), and human costs (such as being away from friends, family, and mandatory professional responsibilities), there is often an ever-present internal pressure which can destabilize the team and make successful data collection more difficult. Balancing the need to be continuously perfect and highly focused while collecting these invaluable observations, while not falling too far behind on other responsibilities, should be acknowledged as difficult. These pressures can be compounded by the additional stress such as: distance from social connections; team chemistry; conflicting research goals between passionate team members; poor weather; safely executing higher risk activities; long days full of field work strung together into many days or weeks; and a lack of individual leisure time. All together, this can lead to a volatile mix ripe for heartache and conflict in a group setting.

This presentation focuses on techniques that can mitigate conflict as well as maximize the opportunity that each field trip results in collecting both fantastically high quality data and also garners a best-ever experience rating from all participants (despite weather, time away from family, conflicts that arise organically over the length of the trip). Ideas are presented on how to build a successful team from a wide range of abilities and backgrounds as well as to uplift team individual members so that the group accomplishes more than any collection of individuals. Also presented is subject matter on how to mitigate unexpected behaviors by individuals or events.