Leading a research team

"Leading a research team requires more than finely honed research expertise and subject matter proficiency; it requires the development and application of multiple skills and thoughtful interaction with team members. As a team leader,  you must be able to clearly and decisively:

  • communicate, 
  • share information, and 
  • articulate the team’s shared vision.

“You must be prepared to

  • model a collaborative approach to research and motivate other members to do so as well.

“You must also

  • support and empower team members, 
  • assign roles and delegate responsibilities and 
  • manage team members’ expectations.”

Adapted from page 27 by changing the formatting in Bennett, L. M., Gadlin, H., Marchand, C. (2018). Collaboration and Team Science Field Guide. 2nd edn., National Institutes of Health Publication No. 18-7660, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, United States of America.

This material was written in the context of team science.  Our emphasis is broader.  Therefore we substituted "scholarship" or "research" for "science" in the text.  We left the title of the manuscript quoted as Team Science so it can be found.