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Science 13 Mar 2020:
Vol. 367, Issue 6483, pp. 1274
WORKING LIFE
Teamwork, the Cuban way
by Paul Bierman
I settled into my seat on a plane bound for Cuba feeling frustrated.
When I planned the trip, I had assumed that my Cuban collaborators and I
would hit the ground running, heading out into the field straight away
to collect water and sediment samples from rivers. That's how I'd done
fieldwork in Namibia, Bolivia, and Greenland. But not in Cuba, it
seemed. Five days earlier, a Cuban scientist emailed to inform me that
we'd only be meeting to talk about our planned project. Sampling would
happen during a later trip, she wrote. That left me feeling impatient
and unhappy. Why did I need to travel there to have a meeting? But I had
something to learn in Cuba.
At the airport, one of my collaborators greeted me with a broad smile.
“Welcome to Cuba!” he exclaimed in perfect English, giving me a strong
handshake and a hug. The next day, we drove to the research center where
he worked. As scorpions scurried across the floor of the conference
room, each of us gave a presentation about our science and what we hoped
to learn from the study of Cuban rivers.
Then, we toured every lab in the building. I met scientists,
technicians, secretaries, students, and the cook. Some spoke English;
others communicated to me in Spanish while my collaborator translated. I
was impressed that I was introduced to each person in their center. The
lack of hierarchy—the team atmosphere—was unlike anything I'd
experienced before in academia.
The next day, we met again to brainstorm. Together, we pored over maps
to plan how we were going to collect samples. Had it not been for the
Cubans, I would have been unaware that the maps I had were outdated and
wrong. They left out reservoirs, which was a problem because had we
sampled downstream of them, our results would have been biased. Local
involvement and knowledge were key—making me wonder what I'd missed
working without such a team in Africa, South America, and the Arctic.
Six months later, I flew back to Cuba and—this time—we headed into the
field. I was impressed, yet again, by the lengths to which my
collaborators went to ensure that all team members were treated equally.
We drove around Cuba in bright yellow vans, and we made sure that each
van had a mix of Cubans and Americans at all seniority levels. In the
field, students, faculty, and technicians all sweated together.
On the last night of the trip, we searched for a restaurant that could
seat all 14 of us at one table—because that's what teams do, they sit
together. When a restaurant couldn't accommodate the team without
splitting us up, my collaborators insisted that we move on and find a
place with a large enough table.
In 26 years as a professor, I've always tried my best to treat my
students as valued collaborators. I have never been a fan of academia's
hierarchy. I want everyone working with me to feel as though they are
part of a team. But my Cuban collaborators take teamwork to another
level entirely. They make it clear—through actions both big and
small—that all team members are valued, that everyone is equal, and that
true teamwork makes for better science.
I returned to the United States a changed scientist. Now, I spend more
time listening and making sure that everyone's voice is heard. Four
months ago, I took the Cuban approach to heart when I led a workshop for
scientists from five countries. We met to discuss how we were going to
analyze a few precious grams of rock collected from beneath the
Greenland Ice Sheet. I made sure that every scientist had a voice in the
discussions and that all 35 of us ate dinners together. The approach
worked: We began as individuals, but after the workshop, we were a team.
Many people outside Cuba focus on its communist system or the bad blood
between our two countries. In Cuba, my collaborators taught me about
coming together. I learned that the best teams recognize that individual
members bring different perspectives to the table. All voices have
merit, and each and every person deserves respect. I hope this essay
inspires others to recognize the power of real teamwork—even during
routine moments such as dinner.
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