The Art of Team Science

Abstract

Clinical and translational science research collaborations rely on the effectiveness of high-performing teams and on the ability of leaders to stimulate, support, and encourage team effectiveness. The objective of this study was to explore insights related to teamwork, team dynamics, and team collaboration from professionals outside biomedical science that might otherwise be overlooked within the context of traditional disciplinary biomedical training. Five dominant themes emerged from this exploratory qualitative study—communication, trust, culture, learning orientation, and consistency. These themes are relevant for the study and practice of team science and underscore the need for leaders to attend to relationships, processes, and structures in support of team effectiveness. The chapter concludes with recommendations for applied leadership practice that can inform the literature on this topic and could be implemented by biomedical researchers and others engaged in leading translational science and translational research.