PhD

The Support-Challenge Matrix was developed by John Blakey and Ian Day and presented in their book, Challenging Coaching. The matrix maps the level of support your supervisor provides against the level of challenge they set for you, and is helpful for thinking about the PhD supervisory relationship. The Support-Challenge Matrix High Challenge + Low Support = Anxiety: Maybe it’s too much, too soon. Your supervisor is expecting you to write a literature review when you haven’t even found out where the toilets are. The task feels overwhelming, but you lack the confidence to ask for help. Awash with imposter feelings, this is evidence that you shouldn’t be doing a PhD. This can happen when a supervisor unconsciously adopts the Persecutor role in the Drama Triangle. Low Challenge + Low Support = Inertia: Nobody’s pushing you or showing you what’s required. You’ve been left to figure it out for yourself, but there are few clues. As Newton famously explained, you’ll be stuck until an external force is exerted upon you. Low Challenge + High Support = Dependency: Although this is a desirable situation in the first month of your PhD, you can’t remain dependent. It’s vital that you become an independent researcher and start solving some tricky problems on your own. A supervisor who encourages dependency might have unconsciously adopted the Rescuer role in the Drama Triangle. High Challenge + High Support = Progress: This is the sweet spot! Your supervisor is challenging you to pursue that research problem and to make your own mistakes, but they’ve got your back in case you experience any major issues. Knowing we have a safety net makes us more willing to take those necessary risks. High Challenge + High Support is a Win-Win, where you get the support you need and your supervisor gets credit for another successful completion. If you feel the balance isn’t quite right in your supervisory relationship, you can use this matrix to initiate a conversation with your supervisor. Yes, it might be an uncomfortable conversation, but it’s the only way to make progress. ...

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. ...

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: ...

If there’s one topic guaranteed to suck all the fun out of a writing workshop, it’s signposting. Signposts include descriptive headings, cross-references, and emphasis of argument. For the writer, these mechanisms feel clunky and dull; for the reader, though, these navigational aids make the text much more digestible — especially when it’s a long document like a thesis or a monograph. Your reader or examiner is probably reading your work alongside a whole heap of other research material. They’ll be dipping in and out over weeks — maybe even months — so need frequent reminders of what you’ve already told them and a roadmap of what’s coming next. With a clear structure and frequent signposts, they’re much less likely to miss something important. ...

It’s hard to get a sense of a big piece of writing, especially when Word keeps crashing. You’re scrolling endlessly, trying to hold thousands of words in your tired brain. You need to step away from the screen. In this blog post, I’ll explain how you can map your book or thesis. This technique helps you impose order on a baggy draft. Even better, it provides an excuse to buy stationery. ...

Even when we start out with a clear plan, it’s easy to end up with rambling draft. We know there’s an argument lurking within, but we’re darned if we can find it. While every writer is different, nearly everyone benefits from the technique of reverse outlining. I think it’s the best way to improve the flow of your argument and produce a coherent manuscript or thesis. There are many different approaches to this technique and there’s no right way of doing it. I’ll share my approach with you, which you can then adapt. ...

When Apple create a new iPhone, they don’t spent years perfecting it. They’re not busily anticipating the needs of all their customers, hoping everyone will love it immediately. Instead, they create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and get it to market as soon as possible. They know there are thousands of people who’ll queue overnight outside the Apple Store and spend a month’s salary on a slightly flawed product. Those early adopters will give them almost immediate feedback on what the developers need to do to bring it up to scratch. Apple make those improvements, then release an updated version. ...

At a recent business networking event, I met no fewer than three people who’d quit their PhD. Although they believed it was the right decision, they still felt a sense of failure or defeat. Estimates vary, but it’s likely that around 40% of PhD students leave. The figures are much higher for part-time students and stratospheric for those pursuing professional doctorates. Because universities are squeamish about sharing the true figures, people who struggle think they’re in a tiny minority. The reasons for quitting will come as no surprise: mental health problems, job insecurity, financial worries, and supervisory conflict are just a few. For valuable insights and discussion on these reasons, hop over to The Thesis Whisperer. ...