Clinical trials are long, demanding projects, and keeping teams motivated and engaged over time is a major leadership challenge. Managers aren’t just responsible for timelines and deliverables—they also set the tone for team energy and focus. If engagement drops, mistakes can happen, enrollment can slow down, and overall trial quality can suffer. Simple things like unclear communication, lack of recognition, or not addressing site frustrations quickly can cause teams to mentally check out, even if they are technically “on the job.”
I believe the key to sustaining engagement is proactive leadership. Managers should establish a culture of frequent check-ins, recognize small wins along the way, and give team members ownership over parts of the project. Sharing updates about how the trial contributes to improving patient outcomes can also reenergize the team’s sense of purpose. Instead of focusing only on deadlines, managers who invest time in supporting and motivating their teams often find that productivity and quality improve naturally. What are some techniques you've seen managers use to keep teams motivated during long projects?
Uncertainty is an inherent part of many projects, which can lead to discouragement among team members. It is important to address this uncertainty within the project's performance domain. There are several strategies for responding to uncertainty:
- Gathering Information: In clinical trials, obtaining accurate information is crucial. One way to manage uncertainty is by conducting research, consulting with experts, or performing market analyses. However, it's important to recognize when the information gathering process goes beyond what is necessary for achieving the project's intended outcomes.
- Preparing for Multiple Outcomes: A proactive approach is to develop backup or contingency plans for various potential scenarios. This allows the project team to categorize and assess potential causes of uncertainty and the likelihood of their occurrence.
- Set-Based Design Process: Implementing a set-based design process early in the project can help to reduce uncertainty and minimize demotivation. This approach enables the project team to balance time against cost, quality against cost, risk against schedule, and schedule against quality.
- Building Resilience: Developing resilience is essential for adapting to and responding swiftly to unexpected changes.
In summary, long projects in clinical trials require versatility and rotation among team members. Repetitive tasks can lead to distraction, so it is vital to address individual needs and concerns through effective communication.
Do you believe that ambiguity, defined as situations in which aspects of the project are unclear or can be interpreted in multiple ways, can affect the progressive elaboration within the scope of clinical trials and increase demotivation among project team?
