Blog: There are no distractions – taking the time to have meaningful conversations

The last 10 days or so have been full of meaningful conversations.

Last Wednesday, our Board met with the HRA Community Committee, a group which brings Research Ethics Committee (REC) members, Confidentiality Advisory Group (CAG) members and public contributors together.

The group advises the Board, bringing more diverse perspectives to help the HRA make better decisions, and so that we can make it easier to do research that people can trust.

You can read more about the committee on its own section of our website.

A week ago today I was at the Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal Football Club, speaking to a huge group of REC members.

This was one of four face-to-face meetings around the UK this autumn for REC members to get together, reflect and learn. We focused on the role that REC members can play in making research more inclusive, widening participation by making sure that research is done with and for everyone, and the importance of ensuring that our REC membership is more diverse and inclusive.

One theme ran through the conversation at both meetings. We want to bring more perspectives into our decision making, but how do we need to change to do that well?

These conversations were an opportunity for me to reflect on the last year of so of learnings from working with the HRA Community Committee.

There are no distractions

The brilliant thing about bringing together a group of people with very different expertise and experiences is that they have a range of different perspectives, and see the work of the HRA in different ways. They all come at things from a variety of angles and can push us to think differently.

But that is also what can make working together hard. Like all of us, our committee members all have different experiences and working styles. They may have different needs. And they each have preferences over how they receive information, different ways of digesting and reflecting on it, and different ways of communicating their thoughts and ideas.

Lots of our time as a committee has been focused on trying new ways of working so everyone can take part and we can learn from different experiences and perspectives. None of this is easy.

At times this has felt frustrating, that this was a distraction, when were we going to get onto the ‘real work’? Was this a good use of everyone’s time?

Until one member stopped us all short with the insight that finding ways to work together is not a distraction, it is part of the work.

And that is at the heart of this. We have a shared purpose - to help the HRA in its mission to make it easier to do research that people can trust - and we all have something to bring to the part. But making it possible for everyone to bring something to the party isn’t easy to achieve. First, we need to find ways of working that work for all of the people involved.

That isn't a distraction but part of involving people well.

Learning to disagree

The value of bringing together a group of people with different perspectives is that they have different opinions and approaches, and they do not always agree.

As a committee that advises the HRA Board, we don’t always need to reach consensus. It can be really helpful to reflect that there is a range of opinion.

But hearing opinions that you do not agree with can be hard. Having your opinions questioned can feel challenging.

We are learning to create a space where people are comfortable to share their opinions and comfortable to be challenged on them without it feeling personal. This is not easy, and we don't get it right all of the time. Good communication and space to talk is at the heart of this.

Getting uncomfortable

A committee member said something that has stayed with me: ‘If it’s not uncomfortable, maybe I shouldn’t be there’.

Getting uncomfortable feels, well, uncomfortable, but it is where the learning and change starts to happen. Having the confidence to do things that feel outside your comfort zone helps.

But this only works where everyone is willing to take part.

Good things take time

Doing things differently takes time. The Community Committee first met in October 2023 and we are still finding our feet.

We have learned a lot that will help us going forward, but we needed the space to do this.

That space is a valuable thing and was only possible because the HRA was committed to doing this well.

Space and time and the confidence to keep going when the going gets tough

We know that involving people in meaningful ways can help us make better decisions, but it is not easy. It needs a supportive culture that recognises the value that this will bring and creates the space to do the work well. We don't need to know how to do it in advance, but be comfortable to develop together.

That is why initiatives like the Shared Commitment to Public Involvement are so important. This commitment sets out to change the culture across the research system, bringing leadership and practical sharing and learning so that public involvement is always expected, possible and important. This will help create the support and encouragement for researchers and organisations to take the time to do things differently.

Within the HRA, we are learning from the work we are doing with the Community Committee. It will help this committee to work effectively and ensure that being part of this is rewarding and worthwhile for everyone taking part.

We are also gaining wider insights into how we can make REC meetings and CAG meetings more accessible and how to make the HRA itself a more inclusive organisation in the ways that it works so that all our staff can thrive.

All of these will help us listen to and involve a diverse group of people in our work, giving people more confidence in us to act to promote their interests in research.