Speaker
Whitney Ann Sweeney
Scientist, ICTR Team Science Core
Whitney Sweeney, Ph.D., is an ICTR Team Science Core Scientist. In her current role, Dr. Sweeney develops and implements resources and tools supporting the expansion of complex team science for translational teams. Prior to joining ICTR, Whitney served on the team that founded the American Family Insurance Data Science Institute. As Assistant Director, she established policy and processes, assembled teams, and managed operations. Before that, Whitney supported faculty research and graduate education in the Department of Biostatistics and Medical informatics for over 12 years. She holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive and Biological Psychology from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
Speaking in
The Power of Inclusive Teams
The most successful teams are diverse, but diversity in the absence of intentional and inclusive practices is not enough. The latest evidence from the Science of Team Science—the interdisciplinary, scientific study of teams—reveals that diversity’s power depends upon purposeful inclusion. This interactive workshop will explain how diversity helps teams improve their performance and generate more innovative ideas while exploring the concepts of psychological safety and the inclusion mindset.
Psychological safety allows team members to feel safe to engage in interpersonal risk-taking, which is essential for team performance and innovation. The inclusion mindset helps us reframe how we interpret situations, promoting acceptance and learning while preventing defensiveness and alienation. In these ways, psychological safety and purposeful inclusion are essential for leveraging the richness that diversity adds to the collaborative process.
During the workshop, participants will have an opportunity to reflect on their experiences with the inclusive team practices of psychological safety and mindset reframing. This will allow for a synthesis of practical insights, creating concrete, tangible applications for participants and their teams.