Field Work Teams

Most Fulbright researchers had at least one field work team member. This article summarizes which individuals are typically on these teams and suggestions for effectively managing teams in the field.

Photo by Lilianna Bagnoli, 2017–18 Fulbright-Nehru Research Scholar, New Delhi

Composition of Field Work Teams

80% of respondents traveled with at least one other person during their field work. Depending on the nature of the project, researchers were accompanied by a variety of individuals including local individuals, translators, and research assistants. The table below provides a snapshot of the most common team members Fulbright researchers worked with during their field work.

Survey responses from the past four cohorts of Fulbright researchers in India. The majority of researchers traveled with a translator or local individual during their field work.

Creating a Field Work Team

Fulbright researchers recommend putting a lot of thought into the individual(s) who will be a part of your field work team. When thinking about who should be on your field work team, one respondent suggested that researchers, “Think about the necessities for your study and what will cause minimal distractions in the environment you are going with.” Another recommended selecting, “Someone local who both you and the community trust.”

In addition to trustworthiness and relevant skills, respondents encouraged researchers to be sensitive about the groups that will come in contact with your field work team. One researcher shared that, “I had two primary translators — a male and female. If I wanted to interview women specifically, I always worked with my female translator.” Another researcher echoed the importance of cultural sensitivity in creating a field work team, saying that, “I would recommend picking a person whose social position will put the participants at ease (e.g. gender), and who will complement the researcher’s presence (including having strengths that the researcher lacks — in interview techniques, language ability, or experience with a specific population).”

Several respondents alluded to the importance of local contacts that team members may have, with one researcher saying that, “They should have a connection to the authorities/gatekeepers at that site (official or unofficial).” Another researcher reflected on the value that their field team members offered to the project, saying that, “Depending on your needs, a travel companion can be quite useful. It was helpful for me to have a local auntie, uncle or elderly person I trust with me to feel safe in new locations with new people. I have benefited from having locals introduce me to gurus they already have a relationship with, or simply locals who are fluent in the language and can help break the ice for me.”

A local hotel manager and sustainable tourism researcher leads a tour of tea plantations in Munnar, Kerala

Managing Challenges with Field Work Teams

Although it is clear that working with other individuals in the field can be beneficial, a number of respondents reported that they experienced challenges when working with their field teams. The list below provides strategies for avoiding or dealing with some of the challenges former researchers faced with their field work teams:

• Avoid hiring someone you already have a personal relationship with. Pre-existing relationships can make it difficult to say no to requests such as additional monetary compensation.
• Keep in mind that members of your field work team may have different understandings of what it means to be “on time”. If you run into issues with professionalism — such as showing up late to interviews — speak to the individual about their behavior directly and feel free to notify your research adviser about the problem as well.
• Utilize formal contracts to establish the parameters of a project upfront and revisit the conditions regularly. This ensures that team members are on the same page about the work they are expected to do and the work they will be compensated for doing.
• As much as possible, try getting to know people and their qualifications prior to offering a formal invitation to join your field work team. This can help to avoid awkward situations in the future if someone does not perform as expected.
• Keep in mind the power and social positions that certain individuals hold in the spaces you will occupy for your research. For example, consider requesting that founders and/or other influential individuals remain out of your interview spaces in order to create an open environment for your participants.