PhD Plan B: Managing change during research

This workshop will equip doctoral researchers with a range of tools to help them navigate the often uncertain trajectory of a PhD. They will learn strategies for planning ahead, adapting to change, and creating coping strategies for moving away from research pathways in which they have invested significant time and energy.

During the workshop, participants will consider the impact of conducting research in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) world. They will look at ways of analysing and categorising risk, and then planning for those risks appropriately, including using creating techniques for thinking beyond the obvious, and being well-prepared to make the most of unexpected opportunities. We will also consider the emotional aspects of managing change, including where we get stuck and how to move forward at those moments. All these tools are grounded in exploration to gain a deeper understanding of the different reasons individual participants are doing their PhD, as an anchor to return to when navigating change.

By the end of the workshop they will be able to:

• Describe their PhD project in terms of its ultimate goal(s)

• Embrace the process of change in a proactive manner by appropriate planning for risks

• Recognise the value of creating a ‘failure-friendly’ mindset,

• Create a range of potential options, based on considered analysis

• Apply an understanding of ‘sunk-cost bias’ in determining when to move on

• Apply an understanding of the psychology of managing change as their PhD evolves.