Workshop: Lead.Train.Facilitate: Leadership in the Supervision Role

Details

Date: Fri, 22 + Fri, 29 January + Thu, 04 + Fri, 12 February 2027, 09.00–12.30 h 
Location: online via Zoom
Target group: Postdocs of all research fields of the UA Ruhr universities (max. 12 participants)
Trainer: Dr. Jan Schmidt
Registration deadline: 08 January 2027
Contact for organizational Questions: gcplus@uni-due.de

Description

Starting as a postdoc, junior group leader or junior professor, it is usually expected to supervise doctoral candidates. Supervision, however, is one of the tasks that are so „normal“ in academia that we quite often neglect to further explain and prepare for it: „Everybody knows what supervision is, so we don’t need to talk about it.“ As a result, researchers who start supervising quite often feel left on their own. This four-module series addresses the different aspects of supervision and helps participants gain the skills – and the confidence – to supervise well. In this seminar we teach you how to combine these two abilities. 

Module 1 – Approaching Supervision: Discussion of experiences and personal definitions of supervision; contextualisation using sociological role theory; fundamentals of leadership styles according to Schmidt/Tannenbaum as a continuum between context, situation and person.

Module 2 – LEAD: Supervision can be described using the three terms ‘Lead’, ‘Train’ and ‘Facilitate’. This module covers the fundamental leadership tasks: defining objectives, planning tasks, delegating, monitoring progress and providing feedback – with a focus on communication and active listening to clarify expectations between supervisors and doctoral researchers.

Module 3 – TRAIN: Focus on the structured development of doctoral candidates using the ‘Researcher Development Plan’ (RDP) as a tool: three stages of development with defined milestones across several subject-specific and academic development strands, also useful for the selection and onboarding of new candidates.

Module 4 – FACILITATE: Career guidance as part of supervision – the shift to ‘coaching mode’. The Dialogic Orientation Quadrant (DOQ) as a framework to support doctoral students in reflecting on past experiences and developing a ‘desired future’ 

Methods
The workshop focuses on short inputs, structured self-reflection, case work based on participants' own situations, and collegial exchange in small groups. The online format, consisting of three half-days, allows participants to test their initial insights in their everyday work between modules.
 

Trainer

Dr. Jan Schmidt holds a PhD in Humanities and brings over 10 years of experience as Academy Director and more than 12 years as a facilitator. His expertise lies in communication, conflict resolution, and leadership. He designs customized solutions that precisely meet client needs while fostering participant development. Combining academic depth, practical insight, and strong engagement, he creates workshops that are content-rich, well-researched, and highly dynamic. His mission: practical, inspiring learning experiences with lasting impact.

* In order to provide you with a comfortable registration process, we use registration forms of our service partner eveeno®. Please note the information on the allocation of places on the program overview page.