By Noëlle Quénivet and Sarah-Louise Weller
On 1 July, colleagues from the College of Business and Law gathered for the third Research Café, part of a series aimed at enhancing the College’s research culture. This Research Café was designed and facilitated by Professor Carol Jarvis, who began by exploring the importance of belonging to a research community. She emphasised that research can often feel like a solitary endeavour, yet many of the challenges researchers face are shared across disciplines and career stages. The session therefore aimed to create a space for open communication about research challenges and to encourage participants to listen actively and reflectively.
Listening to challenges
The first activity focused on active listening, a skill often overlooked in busy academic environments. Participants were asked to represent a current research challenge through a drawing rather than through words. Then, working in groups of three, colleagues took turns explaining their challenges in just three minutes. One listener focused exclusively on the factual aspects of the challenge, while another listened for emotions and feelings. Each participant had the opportunity to take on all three roles. The exercise highlighted how rarely we listen with a specific purpose and how much we can learn when we pay closer attention. Also, by separating facts and feelings, participants gained new insights into their own challenges and those of their colleagues.
The discussions revealed several common themes. Time pressure emerged as a pervasive concern, as many colleagues described the difficulties of balancing research with teaching, leadership responsibilities, administration and other commitments. Participants reflected on the challenge of setting realistic research goals within constrained schedules. Many also discussed the difficulty of staying “in the zone” and protecting time for deep intellectual work. Others highlighted the challenge of balancing their enthusiasm for teaching with their passion for research, recognising that both are central aspects of academic life at UWE. Collaboration was another recurring theme. Participants reflected on the opportunities and challenges involved in working with colleagues, stakeholders and external partners, particularly when time and resources are limited. Questions of maintaining strong relationships, sustaining productive collaborations and managing expectations also featured in the conversations. The discussion also highlighted the uneven rhythms of academic research. Journal articles, funding applications and research projects often involve long periods of development followed by intense bursts of activity when deadlines, reviewer comments or funding requirements demand rapid responses.
One participant described the experience as “rinse and repeat”, returning repeatedly to similar problems because there is rarely sufficient time to pause, reflect and learn from previous experiences. In this respect, the Research Café itself became an important intervention, providing a rare opportunity for collective reflection.
Friendly consulting in action
The second half of the session introduced a process known as Friendly Consulting, a structured approach to collaborative exploration, planning and learning.
Friendly Consulting provides a framework through which participants can present a challenge they are personally responsible for addressing and receive thoughtful, reflective feedback from colleagues. Importantly, the goal is not to provide direct advice or ready-made solutions. Instead, participants are encouraged to ask questions, share observations and offer perspectives that help the challenge owner see the issue in new ways.
For the first consultation, Noëlle Quénivet and Sarah-Louise Weller presented a shared challenge: balancing their responsibilities as Directors of Research and Enterprise with maintaining their own research activity. Acting as lead consultant and facilitator, Carol Jarvis guided the conversation, interviewing the presenters and mediating interactions with the wider group. Participants contributed observations and reflections while the presenters listened and reflected on the emerging insights.
A second volunteer then presented their own research-related challenge, allowing the group to apply the process again and further develop their consulting skills.
The structured nature of the exercise created a respectful and productive environment for discussion. Participants were able to explore complex issues collectively while maintaining ownership of their individual challenges. The process demonstrated how thoughtful questioning and reflective dialogue can generate valuable new perspectives without relying on direct problem-solving.
Building a stronger research culture
As the session concluded, participants reflected on what they had gained from the afternoon. Many noted that the value of the event extended beyond receiving feedback on their own challenges. Listening to colleagues discuss their experiences provided reassurance that many research difficulties are widely shared and offered fresh ideas for addressing them.
Perhaps most importantly, the Research Café created space for reflection. By encouraging colleagues to articulate challenges, practise active listening and engage in collaborative reflection, the event contributed to the development of a more supportive and evidence-informed research culture within the College.
PS: Copilot was used to structure handwritten notes taken during this event and the final version was edited using Grammarly.
