The composition of liaison teams today is varied and replete with broad talent and skill sets that provide corporate customers with the best of all qualifications…or do they?
As a community, team management has gone through years of defining and redefining core requirements for a liaison, particularly around whether or not a terminal degree is necessary in order to engage our medical experts in appropriate, robust scientific exchange. Some teams have been required to consider only candidates with terminal degrees while others open their ranks to a mix of backgrounds and experience. The proponents of each believe these models are unique and impart a specific ability to build relationships and carry the business of science forward. But have we lost sight of what is really desired in a team when the major criterion is the specific college degree?
Having worked with exceptional liaison teams of both configurations and understanding that the therapeutic area can impact liaison needs, I am confounded when I hear that talent is being dismissed by tying perceived excellence to a particular degree. This is not to diminish the value that any degree may potentially impart but the true impact of a terminal degree alone has not been reasonably defined in general. We have regularly fallen back on its singular, perceived ability to “facilitate peer-to-peer discussion” as the definition. What is lost by this singular focus is the ability to incorporate talented individuals which bring what may be most impactful to a team including therapeutic/clinical expertise and robust, long-standing relationships with the medical experts.
As MSL team management we are tasked with continually observing the changing needs of our customers and the specific needs of our teams. We must be sure to provide our senior leadership with our observations and propose appropriate criteria that build teams with the diverse expertise and strengths to provide the best in class.
We have all observed examples of lost opportunity when building teams. Please feel free to share your personal observations. Have you worked to make the best of the situation or provided pivotal influence?
