Resources

When you start a PhD, you’ve probably emerged from a taught programme, such as an undergraduate or Masters’ degree. At that level, you’re used to a lot of structure and explicit deadlines. As a doctoral researcher, though, you need to leave behind that student identity and become independent. This means assuming more responsibility as the PhD progresses. That’s the only way you can make and defend an original and significant contribution to knowledge. ...

Here are the resources from my workshop Working with Your PhD Supervisor. Books 📚 Words that Change Minds by Shelle Rose Charvet The Unwritten Rules of PhD Research by Gordon Rugg & Marian Petre Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone & Sheila Heen Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Stone, Patton, & Heen Setting Boundaries that Stick by Juliane Taylor Shore Websites 🕸️ PhD Toolkit The Thesis Whisperer Resources 🧭 Expectations in Research Supervision Questionnaire (PDF) PhD Supervision Meeting Agenda (MS Word) Co-Supervisor Responsibility Matrix (MS Word) Achieving a Win-Win The Drama Triangle The Hersey-Blanchard Model of Situational Leadership The Support-Challenge Matrix Beyond the Feedback Sandwich Implementing Feedback from your Supervisor

Devised by Dr Peter Nixon, the Human Function Curve shows the relationship between pressure and performance. If there’s minimal pressure, we don’t perform; we’re just bored and understimulated.With a little more pressure, we enter our Comfort Zone. Although, as the name suggests, this feels nice, researchers won’t find new ideas by staying here too long. As the pressure mounts, we enter the Stretch Zone. This is where we want to be most of the time: it’s the sweet spot between pressure and performance. ...

You might have come across the idea of achieving a Win-Win in a situation, which maps quite neatly with the Drama Triangle. This matrix shows the four possible outcomes based on who wins or loses in a conflict or disagreement: The Win-Win Matrix If you make an unreasonable demand on your supervisor, you become a Persecutor. Although you might win in the short term because they become a Victim or Rescuer and concede to you, it’s not going to be an effective long-term solution. They’ll probably feel resentful and might then also become a Persecutor. Then you have a vampire battle on your hands. ...

Developed by Stephen Karpman, the Drama Triangle provides a social model of human interaction. Specifically, it describes the connection between personal responsibility and power in conflicts, revealing the shifting and often destructive roles people play. These roles form a ’triangle’ because people typically cycle between them, with each role triggering the others in a self-perpetuating pattern. These unhelpful behaviours occur in many situations, including supervisory relationships in the workplace. The three roles are the Victim, the Rescuer, and the Persecutor: ...

Here are the resources from my workshop on Saying No: Establishing Healthy Boundaries in Academia. Books 📚 Burnout by Emily & Amelia Nagasaki Slow Productivity by Cal Newport The Productive Researcher by Mark S. Reed The Joy of Being Selfish by Michelle Elman Setting Boundaries that Stick by Juliane Taylor Shore Resources 🧭 Managing Your Energy Budget The Eisenhower Matrix The Human Function Curve Why We Should All Be Slackers Dealing with Darwin Days App 💻 Eisenhower Matrix app (experimental!) ...