Abstract

Starting or re-staring an office to support research and scholarship is an art more than a science. It is critical to assess the context of the institution, the strategic plans and goals both at the office level and institution-wide, and culture to determine how to move an office forward from a start up/re-start office to an established and effective office of research management and support. The presenters will share their experiences with establishing best practices in terms of operations and workflow management, development of impactful support infrastructure based on both the current needs of an institution as well as future support, and leading teams through ever-changing environments. This session will highlight key leadership approaches in a case study fashion learning how the presenters navigated challenges to transform offices. The presenters are looking forward to an open dialogue related to the session topics and participants will be asked to share with one another and identify leadership challenges they have faced or are facing. The goal of this session for participants to come away with tools and ideas to implement at their home institutions as they reimagine the administrative support structure of research in an ever-changing landscape. This networking amongst colleagues sharing similar experiences will function as a resource that is available to participants long after the session concludes. Leading through change is challenging but rewarding and often takes time. Participants will be inspired to continue to find and build on institutional strengths and relationships.