Leadership for public involvement in research

2014 Conference

Abstract:

Background
Public involvement in research is increasingly required by research funders. Recent literature reviews have identified a number of factors that may contribute to public involvement having a positive impact on research. This paper examines one previously  neglected factor – leadership for public involvement within research teams.

Methods
The research was based on realist theory of evaluation, which argues that interventions are driven by an underlying vision of change – a ‘theory’ of how the intervention is supposed to work. The role of the evaluator is to compare theory and practice. Impact can be understood by identifying regularities of context, mechanism and outcome. Our team of researchers and public research partners planned a realist evaluation based on eight qualitative case studies of public involvement in research over one year.

Results
The study identified the previously unrecognised importance of principal investigator leadership as a key contextual factor leading to the impact of public involvement in research; alternatively, involvement might still be effective if leadership was delegated to another senior member of the team or there was a wider culture of involvement. To be effective such leadership needs to be carried through into practical mechanisms such as allocation of staff time to facilitate involvement and relationship building with the public involved.

Conclusions
A revised realist theory of public involvement in research is proposed with leadership as a core contextual factor and mechanism. Implications for future research are identified including the need to explore how the development of leadership might be supported where principal investigators are agnostic or sceptical about its value.