Preparation Exploration Negotiation Implementation
Researcher: I will fit this work in between my other academic duties (i.e., teaching, myriad other research projects, writing, committees, student mentorship) during the semester, so please don't expect me to work on the project full-time. However, once I’m on the ground in the field, this study or collaboration is everything; I need you, my practitioner colleague, to devote all your time and attention towards making this data collection effort successful.
Practitioner: I bought your time, so you will be available at a moment’s notice. This collaboration/study is but one piece (and one I don’t fully understand) of my much larger and complex program; I cannot afford to engage with someone who is high maintenance.
Convergence: Be realistic about timelines and deadlines; transparently discuss other priorities that exist and how they might affect collaboration. Involve more junior staff/students in the operational aspects to sustain progress. Academics: Note that practitioners face gargantuan demands from donors to accomplish a great deal within a short period of time that may have a direct impact on people's lives. Practitioners are counting on you to fulfill your role, and you must be upfront about what you can do and when you can do it. Practitioners: Recognize that, if you involve an academic, this is not the same as partnering with another practitioner organization. You are inviting someone who has studied their subject matter intensely, and your program could learn a great deal on ways to be more effcient or generate greater impact for your beneficiaries if you allow the academic space to do what they do. The reality is that the academics may have narrow time windows during which they can devote attention to the collaboration, and these windows may ebb and flow from week to week.
Questions Researchers Can Ask:
How flexible is the timeline? How compatible is the research timeline with the academic calendar?
What level of team involvement is expected in aspects of the project beyond conducting research?
What level of objectivity and rigor is possible?
How can you help us effectively translate the research for relevant non-academic audiences?
What decisions need/are intended to be informed by the research? How else do you plan to use/share the research?
What value can your team provide to us in terms of contextual knowledge and logistical support?
Questions Practitioners Can Ask:
What other competing demands do you have? How flexible is your schedule?
How participatory can we make the research?
How can we best integrate your research and expertise for regular involvement throughout project activities?
How is the research practically relevant to implementation? Where are there opportunities for the research to inform implementation?
Why are you/your institution interested in this research? How do you plan to use/share the research findings?
How can you build our team/partner capacity to conduct and analyze research?
What is your experience with applied research?
What other competing demands do you have? How flexible is your schedule?