This practical guide to big team science by Baumgartner HA et al. is particularly helpful for researchers beginning to work in larger collaborations that need more deliberate leadership than a small project team. It addresses issues such as leadership, governance, team design, communication, decision-making, collaborative writing, and infrastructure. For established researchers stepping into more flexible leadership positions, the value of the guide is that it treats leadership as a set of practices rather than simply a formal role, helping you create structures that allow collaboration to scale up without becoming fragmented.
- Covers the full range of leadership challenges in large collaborations, from governance design to day-to-day coordination
- Helps researchers think about how to distribute leadership and maintain momentum across a wider group
- Practical and applicable to UK multi-partner and multi-site research contexts
What will you take forward?
One thing to consider: Which part of your current leadership approach would need to change if your project team doubled in size or complexity over the next year?
Related Resouces
See all Established Researcher resources
Ensure your external-facing work is recognised, using the Knowledge Exchange Concordat
Use frameworks to legitimise and protect time for external engagement work so it’s not seen as an extra.
Stepping into senior leadership and learning to think more deliberately about the balance between institutional responsibility and personal research.
Coaching skills for research leaders – develop a coaching approach
Move beyond giving advice by developing coaching skills that build independence, confidence, and capability in your team.
Avoid overload: use digital wellbeing strategies
Reduce digital overload by making small, intentional changes to everyday work practices.
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