Managing Relationships with Your Institution, Its Staff and Your Peers

Abstract

The decision to undertake postgraduate research is a life-changing one, and all related decisions, including where the student elects to study, exactly what the student will research and who is the most appropriate supervisor, will impact upon the quality of both the research produced and a student’s personal experience. While the relationship with supervisors is of vital importance, a student’s relationship with their institution, including their understanding of its aims and objectives and how their research fits under its academic umbrella, is important to both consider and value. This chapter will examine this and other aspects of students’ ‘institutional relationship’, including the areas and individuals who provide a wide range of support and guidance, from libraries to IT to student services. It will also consider how to best manage and maintain respectful working relationships across these support areas in order to best facilitate the doctoral journey. Undertaking research within a faculty and along with other research students can be a bumpy road, and so it is important to also be alert to potential problems and have a suitcase of strategies that can be utilised in order to manage any interpersonal difficulties that may arise. Using examples of real (but de-identified) student experiences, this chapter provides practical steps for minimising and managing problematic working relationship issues that may arise within an institutional setting and between peers.