Your Institutional and departmental strategies impact your career in multiple ways. Make sure you are up to date on these, and clear about where you might need to adapt or respond.
Current funding pressures in the sector mean that many institutions are restructuring and rationalising their focus areas. When was the last time you mapped your activity against your institutional or departmental strategies? Do you know what is different in these now, compared with the last time you looked at them? This resource from the UKRI Future Leaders Fellows Development Network on the UK research landscape offers some tools and definitions to help you think about your institution and departments unique ‘personality’, strengths, opportunities, and challenges. Take time to consider how each of these factors are impacting on you and on where you see things going in the future.
Use these resources to identify any grey areas that you might be able to seek clarification on, or opportunities to discuss with a mentor.
“Establishing an internal mentorship is vital, as it helps navigate ‘unwritten rules’ and gain clarity on institutional expectations.”
Jiao Ji, Lecturer in Finance, University of Sheffield. Read more from Jiao.
What will you take forward?
One thing to try: Where does your work align strongly with institutional priorities? If you need clarity, who will you seek it from? when will you secure that clarification or negotiate better alignment?
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