Most professors or researchers repeatedly find themselves under a lot of pressure to make their articles, books or prepare their classes. This is normal. What I have seen in recent years is a lack of solidarity between the same colleagues and I would like to know your experience. It is due to the pressure of arriving with all the duties and obligations or simply because many colleagues see us as a threat to their position or someone who could overshadow them, what do you think?
Dear Pablo Baisotti ,
I am sorry to say that a significant number of our colleagues look to us as a threat to them worrying about their position , but in fact we all should challange each other to show the best of us for the better of our work and complete each other .
Kind Regards
helping each other would be more productive, don't you think?
from writing together to carrying out a project, unfortunately sometimes seems to be the "prisoner's dilemma".
Academia today has become part of a hectic life-style and competitive pressure for employment opportunities and recognition, due to the economic and educational assembly line model of research.A lot of mental health issues
arise from this 'serialized production philosophy'. In my opinion, corporate university is also in need of organizational therapy.
Dear Pablo Baisotti ,
you are right .
Helping each other for the best of our work
Dear Stephen I. Ternyik ,
Your words already describe the condition there
Kind Regards
My answer is in Article Networked mobbing in higher education institutions and its c...
Competition in every trade is inevitable. The lack of competitors with respect to positions available creates a comfortable level, when every one feels secure and well qualified for the job. However, another situation is more typical, when a number of competitors quite exceeds a number of positions available. That would create a tough situation where even equal qualification competitors would fiercely compete with each other.
In reality, the situation is a great deal worse, because people, who satisfy only a minimum of requirements sufficient for teaching and/or research, compete with people whose skills , experience, and/or level of talent substantially exceeds the minimum requirements. In business, the minimum of requirements is a necessity to make profit. Otherwise, one is just out of business.
The minimum requirements in teaching and research are much more artificial and fuzzy. That's why a lot of people living a very unhappy life balancing at the level of having/loosing jobs, or having jobs without clear prospects for a career growth.
The academic and scientific medium always needs scientific rigor and credibility among researchers and colleagues, but unfortunately, we often miss it.
Є така проблема. Було дуже тяжко. Але наполеглевість та важка праця, достовірність отриманих даних, надали можливість підтвердити свій статус й отримати повагу серед колег- науковців
Dear prof. Len and Anastas
Could it be that the line between competing in a healthy way and ruthlessly being too thin? that is to say, if I see that people around me are working, even if it is not in a collaborative way (that everyone has their own projects) is to further encourage my willingness to work and research. In some way it would be to follow the current in a way that is advantageous for everyone. But this dynamic is so fragile that just one person would be enough to destroy the equilibrium. Imagine a department with 15 or 20 people where it is natural that it is not the perfect environment...
unfortunately, even in environments where reasoning should prevail, it is not uncommon to see and experience disloyalties, denunciations, lies and even various forms of violence to occur.
Pablo Baisoti@
In my case, I have too many engagements--research, administration, gainful employment, students, communications, travels, family, friends...all share my time. In matter of colleagues, I have been lucky.
You need to make a good balance between your academic, teaching, research, and community service duties. Adequate time-management and collaboration among colleagues are key assits.
@Pablo Baisotti
Dear Dr. Pablo Baisotti,
My grandpa used to say that a fish smells from the head. Every research team may contain people willing to compete in a dirty way. Square and fair scientific management can and should create an atmosphere of no tolerance to it. Also, more talented and successful ones aren't always the most pleasant people to deal with. The management isn't only to encourage and distinguish results, but to protect people dignity, healthy and mutually helpful working environment. Everyone should show their utmost, but everyone should be equal as a human being.
الجدية في العمل البحثي وإتمام الواجبات التدريسية والعمل الأكاديمي وديمومة الاحتفال وتبادل الخبرات والتجارب العلمية والتواصل مع آراء الباحثين
Competition is, at times, a very confusing word for me. It is like a person competing with others, and this state of mind has no right end. Fear of not performing at par with others kills the scientific spirit. As a person focuses on doing something better than others, it may so happen that he/she may end up competing for things which are not even worthwhile.
Hence for me, competition comes with integrity, I choose to perform better than my own previous state. This way, I avoid the pressure of performing at timelines set by others.
Hi
General knowledge, knowledge of the material taught to the students and the period of teaching years are those who remove the psychological pressure.
Research in BSc (Graduation Level) is not that pronounced, whereas in Post graduation, have seen some sort of seriousness among the student researchers and their supervisor to get their work get published.
Professionally all are waiting for quality research, which is mostly possible at university level, rather than in affiliated colleges.
It's true. It happened to me that when I was finishing my doctorate, my thesis director, who ran one of the most important journals on the subject I was researching, never proposed to me to publish anything there. What's more, he encouraged others and treated me with a certain contempt... life gives back what you sow....
Competition is part of life. To be competent we need to compete. In positive sense we can use it as a motivator. Research is a field which we need to fix our attention to the goal. Whatever comes the way we should overcome the challenges with perseverance and victory. Research is a systematic process and whatever approaches which is out of the system we should ignore it and just fix to our target.
Hi Surag
Definitely for your answer. But I am speaking in general which covers all branches of life.Thanks
Paul: At my university, all of the professors are very competent and hard-working. They share a common mission and are very co-operative to help each other. It is truly a great workplace.
The administrators are very supportive of the faculty, too. Plus, we have great facilities and a good supply of resources.
What you said is true but one of the reasons for success is how to employ others to work in one team spirit
Self-assessment is not possible, because if you consider that you are good in one paragraph, others may consider you not good. Thanks with regards
It's a complex situation where individual from different background compete for resources in a small space, forgetting the universe is diverse.
Blowing out others candle doesn't brighten ones candle. There is no need for envy, competition or comparison in academic or research Institutes because there is some degree of speciality in everyone.
However, because we fail to see ourselves as a "special entity" or due to individual complexes, we either feel envious, jealous or superior.
Academia are intellectuals and bureaucracy should be avoided to avoided a decade of intellectual legacy.
am a mid career scientist and currently have average knowledge in what I do.
Typically, PhD level is approved by already recognized, experienced, and impartial scientists in a respective domain. Teaching and research set a wider scope of requirements, where the organization's administrators have a final say in deciding whether one or another candidate has a better level of competence.
This is a source of numerous conflicts that often difficult to eliminate. In many cases, the administrators are also teachers and scientists and may have far from objective preferences. On the other hand, competitors among teachers and researchers may use rumors, or built negative opinions against stronger competitors to diminish their chances of a promotion, while elevate the own ones.
One may say - it's a fight for survival, another would consider it a low moral bias against professionally strongest candidates. In many cases, it is highly dependent on the top management position in an organization - FISH SMELLS FROM THE HEAD.
Len Leonid Mizrah made excellent comments. I do agree with him. However, to assess the competences as a professor and a researcher there should have some assessment tools.
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