NSF CI Compass invites you to the next installment in our webinar series: Beyond Crisis: Ten Strategies for Cultivating Organizational Resilience in Major/Mid-Scale Facilities and Related Organizations, featuring Kerk F. Kee, Virginia & Choc Hutcheson Professor in Mass Communication at Texas Tech University, and Senior Personnel for NSF CI Compass; and Mahedi Hasan, Ph.D. student at the College of Media and Communication at Texas Tech University, and graduate assistant with NSF CI Compass since 2022.
This webinar will be held on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT / Noon MT / 11 a.m. PT.
Registration is free and required to attend.
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic served as an unprecedented experiment in adaptation and resilience in response to a global crisis. While the pandemic may be behind us, it is crucial to revisit the lessons learned and explore how these practices can strengthen preparedness for future crises. This webinar presents findings from a collaborative EAGER project between Texas Tech University and Information Sciences Institute/University of Southern California, funded by the National Science Foundation (OAC-2042054 & OAC-2042055) and based on 56 interviews with professionals from multiple major facilities (MFs) and related organizations. Between December 1, 2020, and August 28, 2023, three phases of data collection and analysis culminated in a typology of 10 key organizational adaptation strategies:
1. Adjust work expectations to accommodate colleagues’ personal and family needs.
2. Provide flexibility for employees to focus on the quality and quantity of their work, irrespective of location.
3. Connect with peers at other facilities and organizations to exchange ideas, strategies, and best practices.
4. Embrace a “do what you can, when you can” mindset.
5. Implement a master scheduling or project management platform to track tasks and assignments.
6. Accept delays, adapt to change, and manage uncertainty and feelings of overwhelm.
7. Schedule virtual meetings to foster team cohesion, even when interruptions occur at home.
8. Use nonverbal cues to make online meetings more engaging.
9. Establish a committee or task force to collect input and explore solutions across organizational levels.
10. Create social platforms for informal interactions among team members.
Our research also identified that certain preconditions, such as organizational identification, work motivation, and strong interpersonal trust, are essential for the success of these strategies. Building these foundations requires time and deliberate effort within the workplace.
Speaker Bios
Kerk F. Kee is the Virginia & Choc Hutcheson Professor in Mass Communication at Texas Tech University, a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Kee is serving as a Senior Personnel at CI Compass, and he contributes to the community-building initiatives by CI Compass for major and mid-scale facilities. A social and organizational scientist with a focus on cyberinfrastructure and related technologies, his research has been supported by the National Science Foundation (including an NSF CAREER grant in 2015), National Academy of Sciences, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. His recent work explores strategies to encourage cyberinfrastructure adoption, essential soft skills in cyberinfrastructure projects, the do’s and don’ts of building and promoting science gateways, and the boundary-spanning roles of cyberinfrastructure professionals.
Mahedi Hasan is a Ph.D. student in the College of Media and Communication at Texas Tech University and has served as a graduate research assistant with CI Compass since 2022. His research examines how Communities of Practice (CoP) promote the diffusion of innovations like cyberinfrastructure within Major and Mid-Scale Facilities, particularly during times of crisis. With a background in science journalism and corporate communications, Hasan uses mixed methods in the social sciences to study crisis communication strategies and information-sharing practices in scientific communities. His work provides actionable insights to strengthen CoPs and foster innovation and resilience in large scientific organizations, particularly those receiving federal funding, thereby contributing to a supportive organizational culture in science and technology.
