Why Research Leadership Matters

Available open access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.

What makes some research teams thrive while others falter – even when talent and funding are comparable?

Why Research Leadership Matters is the first focused, extensive and evidence-based analysis of research leadership – what it is, why it matters and how it can be fostered. Moving beyond managerial notions of academic leadership, this groundbreaking study reveals how effective research leaders shape ideas, teams and institutions to achieve both scholarly excellence and societal impact. It draws on the emerging field of meta-science to identify the barriers that prevent good leadership – such as rigid career structures and inadequate mentoring – and offers strategies for building inclusive, agile and boundary-spanning research cultures.

Providing a vital framework for understanding how research systems can unlock their full potential, this book is essential reading for academics at all career stages and in all disciplines. It demonstrates why, in the pursuit of scientific success, leadership matters more than ever.