Travelling in Field — Tips for a Happy Team
Q: What was your greatest challenge running fieldwork in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over 3 weeks?
For this particular project, we were a small team of 3 people from Singapore and 2 from Bahrain and Riyadh. Different cultures, mindsets and concepts of ‘normal’. For my team from Singapore, it was their first time in the Middle East and being away from home for almost a month. We work extensively across Asia, and most Asian cultures are familiar enough to us — the culture, the food, the cities. My greatest challenge was keeping my team happy and motivated on the ground.
It’s not easy — working away from home, adjusting to a drastically different lifestyle. Small things like unfamiliar food, tastes and textures for breakfast…. or not being able to go out for a run can make a huge difference to our energy and enthusiasm levels. To help us adjust and cope in a foreign environment, we constructed our own rituals — some familiar and part of our daily routine back home, some new and personal. A few things that helped keep the team happy and slightly less homesick are:
1/ Bringing snacks from home: That last minute Muji run for peach tablets and honey kneading plum. I wish I had thought of rice crackers and instant noodles — for next time! Having a small stash of fave goodies around really helps on long flights and mid-afternoon lulls.
2/ Being open with our emotions and state of mind: We have ‘check-in’ cards that we use in our studio, each with its own questions that help us share small victories, learnings, or even annoyances with the team. We created a special set for this trip, for us as well as some of the client team working closely with us. The goal was to check-in with each other, learn about each other, and create a safe space for a range of emotions.
3/ Time out for personal space: We also made sure to carve out some alone time, even if this meant adjusting interview schedules, so we could decompress. This could come in the form of connecting with our families back home, working out, watching a film or even taking a nap.
4/ Familiar food in an unfamiliar land: Lastly, never underestimate the power of Panda Express. Well, or PF Chang’s. Going out to eat Asian food cheered us up no end. The simple joys of wonton soup and orange chicken brought Venus and Michelle big smiles and fuelled them for another day.
Originally published at https://www.heist7.com on April 26, 2019.
