The Mars Global Food Safety Center is a state-of-the-art research and training facility in Beijing, China, that is at the heart of a global network of partners and collaborators tackling the most significant food safety challenges facing the planet today.
Over time, the way the centre’s success is measured has evolved, with additional focus on demonstrating clearer business outcomes beyond the pure science output. Scientific work must now be planned, prioritised and delivered in a way that also aligns with business needs, timelines and decision-making processes.
The GFSC leadership team identified a gap between ‘pure science research’ ways of working and emerging business expectations. Research scientists were being asked to run their work as projects; however, many had not been trained to lead projects in the formal sense. There was a belief generally amongst the scientists that science couldn’t be held to timelines or milestones because ‘science takes as long as it takes’.
Project management skills such as managing stakeholders, planning milestones, navigating governance, and communicating progress were not previously considered in the team’s recruitment approach.
The leadership team at the Global Food Safety Center recognised they needed help with making this transformation and engaged Knowledge Connections specifically to help build project leadership capability within the scientific community, while remaining sensitive to the realities of scientific work and the cultural context in which the team operated.
It quickly became apparent that this was about more than skills training.
There were two important layers to understand. The first was cultural. Working with a China-based team required a different approach to communication, authority and engagement. Feedback tended to be polite and positive, even where there was resistance or uncertainty. This made it harder to surface concerns early and respond to them directly.
The second layer was professional culture. While many scientists are trained to focus on evidence and technical problem-solving, project leadership often requires a different skill set; bringing people together without direct authority, working with uncertainty, and aligning diverse stakeholders. In some cases, these activities may be perceived as secondary to the science itself.
Knowledge Connections approached the work through a PROSCI change management lens. Project leadership training was seen as only one part of a wider journey. For new ways of working to take hold, people needed to understand why the change mattered, how it related to the organisation’s direction, and what was expected of them in practice.
The team also recognised that capability would vary. Some scientists would be able and willing to step into project leadership roles, and others would not, regardless of training. That insight later became central to how the work evolved.
Knowledge Connections designed and delivered a virtual project leadership programme tailored specifically for scientists working in a global environment.
The content focused on the practical realities of running projects: clarifying roles, engaging stakeholders, planning work through defined stages and understanding governance expectations. Sessions were adapted in real time, allowing discussions to go deeper where curiosity or challenge emerged, rather than forcing a fixed agenda.
To address cultural differences, the team introduced a structured cultural mapping exercise. Participants explored how approaches to authority, communication and decision-making differed across countries and how those differences played out when working with global stakeholders. These insights were then translated into practical strategies for managing relationships more effectively.
Alongside formal training, Knowledge Connections provided coaching and mentoring, worked with line managers to reinforce expectations, and facilitated conversations that helped leaders align around what good project leadership looked like in this context.
The work highlighted just how important adaptability is when operating across cultures, disciplines and organisational contexts.
Through the programme, participants developed a clearer understanding of what effective project leadership involved and why it mattered to the business.
Leaders gained better insight into where training could build capability, and where alternative approaches were needed. Knowledge Connections provided some tools to measure the adoption of the change, which was tracked over time.
Self-assessment data showed a clear shift in how participants viewed their project leadership capability, with scores becoming more consistent and moving towards higher levels across key areas.
