True resilience is about creating an environment where teams can adapt and thrive

Build resilience.’ We’ve all had that feedback, haven’t we? True resilience isn’t about tolerating sub-optimal conditions. It’s about creating an environment where teams can adapt and thrive because the systems around them are supportive, and well designed to instil a culture of collaboration.

Teams in the pharma and biotech industries are under more pressure than ever. They are asked to demonstrate measurable impact, move at speed, drive innovation and stay firmly within compliance boundaries. At the same time, many are working in hybrid or geographically dispersed setups, sometimes with stretched resource. Against this backdrop, genuine resilience has become a strategic necessity.

It’s important to acknowledge that resilience shouldn’t become shorthand for just coping. There’s a danger in praising teams for ‘bouncing back’ if the underlying issues, such as unclear roles, unrealistic timelines or chronic under-staffing, are left unaddressed. Over time, that interpretation of resilience can erode morale and drive attrition.

The trick lies in designing systems that enable resilience rather than ‘getting on with it regardless’. Experience has taught me that collaboration is a powerful enabler of resilience. I’ve also got the scars to show that ineffective collaboration can crush your soul.

Resilience in collaboration isn’t just about individuals bringing the grit. It’s about how teams absorb shocks, adapt to change and continue to perform. The ability to work cross-functionally, combining scientific knowledge, communications expertise, creative insight, and digital execution is the hidden strength that sustains that resilience.
In practice, this means leaders taking responsibility for removing barriers and enabling collaboration, rather than expecting teams to tough it out.

Cross-functional teams broaden the lens on any given challenge. A strategy shaped with input from diverse functions and perspectives tends to be sharper and more impactful.

Just as importantly, working across disciplines can protect against burnout. Research shows that a supportive teamwork climate, coupled with clear communication, is associated with lower burnout rates and higher job satisfaction in healthcare environments (Virginia Mason Institute, 2023). When individuals feel connected to a broader mission, resilience becomes collective rather than personal.

Of course, cross-functional working isn’t a silver bullet. Without structure and a deliberate approach by leadership to build a culture of collaboration, it can easily become frustrating.

Misaligned priorities are difficult to overcome. If marketing is chasing visibility while medical prioritises compliance, teams end up being pulled in opposite directions. With agencies, a mindset of what can be sold to meet financial targets means collaboration is superficial. That goes for agencies in the same network or group, not just individual agencies.

A lack of understanding about each other’s natural behavioural styles will create tensions within a team and reduce its ability to come together in the face of challenges.
Not understanding why someone needs details to be able to act, or seeing someone as rash as they make quick decisions, are classic problems.

Different roles and disciplines speak their own language, often leading to role confusion and jargon. What a creative calls a ‘storyboard’ might be meaningless to a medical reviewer.

Individual processes being imposed on the team means that nobody has bought into how the team is going to run the workstream. In the same vein, tech platforms meant to enhance collaboration can end up as barriers if poorly adopted.

The practical steps for embedding resilience into cross functional teams are straightforward but require commitment:

• Ensure that goals are aligned at the outset: how team success will be measured, and who is responsible for what outcome
• The team leader needs to set the values and culture of the team, and be experienced in spotting behaviour that does not reflect the shared values – even when it is masked behind pleasant smiles
• Invest in building shared language and empathy through an understanding of functions, but also of individual behavioural styles
• Make collaboration a rhythm rather than an occasional intervention through regular mixed-team huddles and retrospectives
• Pilot collaboration tools gradually, focusing on tangible benefits rather than adherence to the process
• Invite regular open and constructive feedback and take seriously signs that the structure, systems or culture of the team is not fair or supportive.

Cross-functional collaboration is often portrayed as a way to drive innovation. But when done well, another aspect of its value may be in fostering resilience. Teams that combine different strengths, anticipate points of friction and build structures for genuine collaboration are better placed to withstand pressure and adapt to change.