Resource 6 Steps to Managing Up in Academia

By Graduate Student Center

Managing faculty expectations and having an effective relationship with your advisors requires conscious planning and effort. Here are six steps to help you "manage up" in academia.

1. Be introspective. Understand yourself and your needs. For example: Identify and communicate tasks that need adviser input before proceeding and those you can complete on your own.

2. Set unselfish goals. Focus on the greater good—what's good for the research group as a whole. Managing up could include offering proposals that will increase the group's visibility or bring benefits to the entire team.

3. Understand what your advisor, department, and institution need. Look closely at your institution's plans and biggest investments, and think about how your boss and your department fit into those plans. Again, the goal is to help the team so that you can reap the benefits.

4. Keep Receipts to avoid drama. Prioritize respectful communication. When in doubt, err on the side of caution. Send follow-up emails after important conversations to document what was said and demonstrate understanding. If an email cannot be sent, keep dated notes!

5. Communicate often and honestly. You might need to prioritize classes or TA duties above ongoing research tasks temporarily. Communicating often, setting realistic deadlines, and being upfront with your adviser about your other responsibilities will make sure everyone is on the same page regarding expectations.

6. Be gracious in managing credit and blame. Share the credit on tasks and projects appropriately. The same goes for when something goes wrong. Being the person who acknowledges mistakes and quickly turns toward solutions will earn you respect and trust.

An important part of graduate wellness is maintaining healthy relationships, boundaries, and expectations with faculty advisors and mentors. See these and other wellness resources by following #PennGraduateWellnessWeek

References:

Jensen, D. G. (2016) Managing up: An industry skill you can learn in academia. Science. doi: 10.1126/science.caredit.a1600091

Jackson, L. (2019) Why Everyone Should Master Managing Up and Across. HigherEdJobs.

Saló-Salgado, L., Acocella, A., García, I. A., Mousadik, S., and Zvinavashe, A. (2021) Managing up: how to communicate effectively with your PhD adviser. Nature. Doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-03703-z

Miller, K. (2019) Managing Up: How To Lead When You’re Not The Boss. Northeastern University.