DisCouRSE Focus Group: Team Culture and Leadership in dRTP contexts
Participants in this DisCouRSE first focus group1 are gathered to explore how leadership can influence a healthy team2 culture in a dRTP context, with the aim of exchanging ideas and practices. The format will begin with a provocation by a researcher and leadership coach drawing on selected leadership studies3 followed by a dRTP leader response4. The day will include presentations on practices from the community with time to reflect on their applicability. Ultimately, the objectives of the day are to:
- settle on a shared language to reflect on leadership and team culture,
- document valuable practices and models which align with the dRTP community values and, last but not least,
- propose some directions to refine the DIRECT competencies framework5 and plan future training activities.
Note that this event is in-person only with no hybrid option.
To register your interest in attending, fill in our registration form. If we are over-subscribed, places will be allocated to ensure that we have a diverse range of dRTP roles represented.
Limited travel bursaries will be available for this event, to enhance the diversity of participants. Decisions to all successful applicants will be announced by Fri 9th Jan 2026. If you would like to apply for a bursary please email arc.discourse@ucl.ac.uk setting out the level of support necessary to enable you to attend.
Schedule
| Time | Description |
|---|---|
| 9.15-9.30 | Arrival |
| 9.30-9.45 | Welcome and introduction |
| 9.45-10.10 | Provocation by Kate Best - Business School, King’s College London |
| 10.10-10.35 | Response by Emma Karoune - Principal Researcher, Alan Turing Institute |
| 10.35-11.05 | Discussion on terminology and key reflections |
| 11.05-11.20 | Break |
| 11.20-12:35 | Leadership models – presentations by the community |
| 12.35-13.20 | Lunch |
| 13.20-14.20 | Breakout sessions on practices and challenges |
| 14.20-15.20 | Competencies and Training: DIRECT framework and beyond |
| 15.20-15.30 | Closure and follow up |
References
-
We use focus group in the business analysis sense as a technique bringing together a selected group of experts in a structured and facilitated setting to gain multiple perspectives on the same topic rather than necessarily gain consensus or produce a specific output. (Paul et al. 2020) ↩
-
By team we intend a highly interdependent group who “plan work, solve problems, make decisions, and review progress in service of a specific project. Team members need one another to get work done.” (https://rework.withgoogle.com/intl/en/guides/understanding-team-effectiveness) ↩
-
Not necessary but you might want to find out more about Project Aristotle and the Four I’s of Transformational Leadership prior to the focus group. ↩
-
Not necessary but you might want to find more about the concept of emergent strategy in this book by Adrienne Maree Brown and browse these resources from The Turing Way: Emergence as The Turing Way’s Strategy; Important Features of Leadership. ↩
-
You can find out more about the DIRECT framework draft at https://directframework.com/ ↩