Year: 2026
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Purpose: Despite leading all industrial sectors in R&D investment, the pharmaceutical industry faces ongoing challenges in optimising the development of pipelines of complex drug candidates. While shared leadership–the distribution of influence among team members–is frequently proposed as an enabler of knowledge-intensive teamwork, its specific operational dynamics within the highly regulated, siloed environments of pharmaceutical R&D, remains ambiguous. This research addresses a critical gap in organisational literature by investigating whether enhancing team effectiveness depends on a contingent, structure-first alignment of distributed leadership specifically tailored to the unique constraints of biopharmaceutical coordination. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study utilised a multi-source design within a global pharmaceutical organisation, involving 40 intact R&D teams (N =176). Shared leadership was captured through a round-robin sociometric method, while team effectiveness was independently rated by senior executives. This multi-source configuration minimised common method bias and enabled a precise evaluation of the structural boundary conditions that shape shared leadership trajectories. Findings: The results indicate that shared leadership operates contingently rather than as a universal default. Specifically, the analysis tracks a directional interaction trend highlighting team interdependence as a key structural boundary condition. In configurations where team interdependence is high–reflecting deeply entwined scientific tasks–shared leadership displays a positive trajectory toward enhanced team effectiveness. Conversely, in loosely coupled teams or low-interdependence teams, the lateral distribution of influence trends towards coordination friction. Furthermore, covariate analysis demonstrates that structural team size acts as a vital architectural anchor, fully attenuating legacy demographic age effects. Originality/Value: This thesis offers a valuable conceptual refinement to empowerment-based leadership models by addressing a prominent gap in the literature regarding specialised pharmaceutical R&D environments. It introduces the R&D Leadership Readiness Framework, a sector-specific strategic framework for biopharmaceutical project directors to evaluate structural readiness across the asset lifecycle (from preclinical to launch) before decentralising the leadership function. By moving beyond a generic view of shared leadership toward a context-bound, structure-first approach, this work offers actionable guidance for building the resilient , cross-functional clinical and discovery teams required for sustainable drug development.
Author: Bose, Uday Kumar
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7164622438