2026 Events

Previous Events

Working Well Together: Creating and Celebrating Positive Research Environments

On 21 January 2026, the CAT School held another networking event at Canynge Hall on Working Well Together (WWT), focusing on research culture and collaboration. We were pleased to welcome Eleanor Walsh and Claudia Gumm, both of whom have extensive experience supporting research teams and groups.

Why research culture matters

The session emphasised the importance of how research is carried out, not just what is produced. Research culture is increasingly recognised as central to building effective teams, supporting development, and staff wellbeing. Building and promoting positive research cultures are therefore essential to sustainable academic careers.

Working well together in practice

Research is rarely undertaken alone, and all members of a team influence its culture, whether intentionally or not. WWT emphasises that many roles are involved in enabling research, from researchers to technicians and administrative support, all of whom contribute to research culture. WWT highlights leadership as a shared and social activity, not something confined to formal roles. Rather than focusing on individual training, the approach supports collective responsibility for creating and maintaining positive ways of working within our research and wider contexts.

Participants in WWT reflect on shared purpose, everyday behaviours, and decide collectively how feedback is given and received. Practical activities encourage teams to recognise what they already do well, while identifying areas for development. The WWT resources provide structured opportunities for focused conversations that may not otherwise take place.

Principles and tools

WWT is based on groups defining their own goals and agreeing what effective working looks like for them. The approach encourages reflection, action led by the group itself, and involvement from all roles and career stages. Tools such as the WWT Gauge help teams to capture shared perspectives and support discussion about team climate.

A short creative exercise, at the event, explored the “shape” of our teams, prompting reflection on inclusion, distance, and connection within research groups. Despite the limited time available, participants reported gaining useful insights into how their teams’ function and their place within them.

Looking ahead

The session concluded with suggestions for using WWT with research teams, including running the gauge at the beginning and end of a process, embedding activities within existing meetings, or holding dedicated sessions. Evidence from pilot work suggests that creating a space for discussing research culture is highly valuable to teams.

Overall, the event demonstrated how Working Well Together provides both language and structure for conversations and the value of taking time to reflect collectively on how we work together. The potential of WWT to support positive, inclusive, and sustainable research environments going forward in creating space for shared understanding, action, and celebration. Further resources are available at workingwelltogether.co.uk.