Skill-sharing

Teamwork Task all members clear about and committed to goals all assume roles wilUngly all influence the decisions know when to disband for individual activity all provide their unique skills share information openly the team is open in seeking input frank reflection and building on each other s information team beUeves it can do the impossible all are seen as pulling their fair share of the load. 

How do you ensure effective communication, cooperation, and knowledge/skill sharing across work units, functions, and locations, as appropriate ... 

The authors are grateful for the invaluable collaboration of colleagues and students whose names appear on many of the cited articles. One of us (DOC) would like to thank Drs. Aaron N. Bloch, Theodore O. Poehler, and Thomas J. Kistenmacher for their good humor and skillful sharing of the many burdens over the past 16 years. The generous support of the National Science Foundation for the recent work presented here (Grant DMR 86-15305) is very much appreciated. 

The skills matrices shown as Figures 2-8 and 2-9 are provided as an example of one way to approach this task. The skills indicated are examples only there may be others your company s initiative might need. The first matrix. Figure 2-8, helps to locate skills within your company. Note that as a practical matter, one person may have multiple skills, just as several people may share one key skill. Note also that this matrix can help identify "pockets" or concentrations... 

Mentors sharing their experience and management skills. 

You might remember that this latter approach was adopted by David Megginson and Paul Stokes of Sheffield Hallam University (see Case study 3.1). All of their mentors were seasoned managing directors who had mentored throughout their careers and did not perceive it as appropriate to engage in formal skills training. They were, however, happy to discuss their skills and share experiences. 

Finally, Haber knew how to blend the talents of skilled technicians, industrialists, and scientists from different disciplines. His English collaborator, Robert Le Rossignol, would develop the seals needed to maintain high pressures in an experimental chamber. A highly skilled mechanic, Friedrich Kirchenbauer, would build precision equipment needed for the reaction. Haber later thanked Le Rossignol and Kirchenbauer in his Nobel Prize speech and shared patents with Le Rossignol and prize money with both men. 

The first move of the Experimental Approach section is to share prior accomplishments. The term prior accomplishments refers to completed works (e.g., published articles or otherwise disseminated results) and other accomplishments (e.g., awards, collaborations) that are related to the proposed work. (Unrelated accomplishments may be listed in a separate biographical statement but should not be mentioned in the proposal.) The purpose of move 1 is to establish expertise and convince reviewers that you have the necessary skills to complete the proposed work. Move 1 usually begins at or near the start of the Experimental Approach section. The length of move 1 varies with each proposal. Typically, the section is longer for experienced researchers (i.e., those with prior grant support) because they have more accomplishments to share. Move 1 is often demarked with a level 2 heading. Common level 2 headings for move 1 are shown in table 13.2. 

If you are at the start of your career, you may not yet have many prior accomplishments to share. In this case, you can establish expertise in move 2 (Share Preliminary Results) instead. Excerpt 13G illustrates this approach. Here, Lyon emphasizes what he has accomplished to date on the project, highlighting results and relevant skills that he and his group have mastered. Do not hesitate to point out, as Lyon does, that the results demonstrate your ability to perform tasks required for your proposed work. 

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