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and responsibilities. Failure arises when no operating model has been chosen or created or when there is a hybrid of models. This lack of definition means that the path of responsibility and authority becomes confused and leads to many layers of review in the decision making process, excessive meetings, and negotiating and coordinating difficulties between teams and functions. To succeed with virtual organizations, extending this principle is even more essential to ensure that the interfaces between each element (e.g., CROs, regulatory agencies, etc.) are as equally well-defined as the interfaces between the different functions within the company. |
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To create high-performance teams requires, among others, the following key actions: |
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unremitting focus on project objectives |
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all team members working at their limit |
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open and intensive communication |
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cohesive, compatible team membership |
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a distinctive social system within the team. |
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When a team adopts these characteristics, its output far outstrips its previous performance. This achievement may take some effort and there is an inherent fragility about sustained high levels of performance. To make high performance the norm rather than the exception and to make the sustained level of performance robust, the change process needs to be managed, and a number of conditions need to be established (many of which can be supported and enabled by IT): |
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working jointly with scientists, medics, and other personnel, considerable time and effort is required to develop the will to change and commitment to the new ways of working in teams |
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formal training in specific skills |
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facilitation of best practice in project settings |
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peer group learning sessions |
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an appropriate IT infrastructure to support and reinforce the project culture. |
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This does not mean that management takes care of itself. Good leadership is essential to ensure that the project progresses and does not lose its way because of too many managers and, thus, too many conflicts. To ensure this progression, first, common objectives must be established with early planning of how the objectives are to be achieved. Secondly, it is essential to communicate this focus to the team members, establishing com- |
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