It’s More Fun Together: Developing Networks and Collaborations

This Professional Development Workshop reimagines networking and collaboration in academia as acts of psychological safety, reciprocity, and joy. Drawing on Edmondson’s (2019) psychological safety, Wenger’s (1998) communities of practice, and Bourdieu’s (1986) social capital, the session equips participants to transform networking from performance into authentic connection. Through experiential, reflective activities, participants map networks, craft purposeful ‘asks’, and build trust-based collaborations. The workshop debunks myths of extroversion and performance, promoting curiosity, generosity, and play as drivers of academic engagement. Attendees leave with a personalised activation plan to cultivate sustainable, interdisciplinary, and joyful professional relationships that strengthen higher education communities. (We acknowledge this abstract was produced by OpenAI from our own work below)