Why High Performers Often Struggle Most During Transformation
The people organisations rely on most during transformation are often the ones who find it hardest to navigate.
Not because they lack resilience, adaptability or transferable skills. Many have spent decades developing precisely those qualities. They understand that loyalty to an employer is no substitute for professional development.
The more difficult challenge is recognising when the environment in which those skills were developed is changing and what that means for their future value.
In pharmaceutical R&D, the changes go beyond organisational restructuring, site closures and portfolio reprioritisation. Scientific priorities evolve, business models change, new technologies reshape how research is conducted, and AI is beginning to influence how knowledge is generated, interpreted and applied.
For experienced professionals, the question is not simply whether they can learn new skills. It is whether they can recognise early enough how their existing expertise, judgement and experience might need to be applied differently.
A scientist’s therapeutic expertise may remain substantial even as investment moves elsewhere. An experienced R&D leader may have an excellent record of delivering programmes, yet find that future leadership requires a different combination of scientific, technological and strategic capabilities.
Past success remains an asset, but it does not automatically guarantee future relevance.
This creates a challenge that is both strategic and personal. Understanding where pharmaceutical R&D is heading is one part of the task. Understanding what those changes mean for your own contribution, development and career is another.
Research on career shocks shows that unexpected events can disrupt established career expectations and prompt people to reconsider their professional direction (Akkermans et al., 2021). Research on organisational restructuring also indicates that major change can affect wellbeing, working conditions and employees’ sense of control (de Jong et al., 2016; Fløvik et al., 2019).
The opportunity lies in bringing these perspectives together: looking beyond the immediate disruption to consider what the industry will need next, where your experience can create value, and which capabilities you may need to develop.
That is a different question from how to remain loyal, resilient or adaptable. It is about taking an active role in shaping your future rather than allowing organisational change to define it for you.
How I can help
At Arête Pharma Coach, I help experienced pharmaceutical professionals connect industry change with individual action.
This may involve exploring questions such as:
Which aspects of your expertise remain distinctive and valuable?
How might your experience need to be applied differently?
What capabilities will become increasingly important in pharmaceutical R&D?
How could AI and other emerging technologies affect your role?
What direction would allow you to make your strongest contribution in the future?
Coaching provides a confidential space to step back from immediate pressures, examine assumptions and make more deliberate decisions about what comes next.
My approach combines an understanding of pharmaceutical R&D with structured career and leadership coaching. The aim is not to predict the future with certainty or provide a ready-made answer. It is to help you interpret what is changing, recognise where your value can evolve and identify practical next steps.
If you are navigating transformation, considering your next career move or thinking about how to remain relevant as pharmaceutical R&D changes, please get in touch with me at Arête Pharma Coach.
References
Akkermans, J., Collings, D. G., da Motta Veiga, S. P., Post, C., & Seibert, S. (2021). Toward a broader understanding of career shocks: Exploring interdisciplinary connections with research on job search, human resource management, entrepreneurship, and diversity. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 126, 103563. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2021.103563
de Jong, T., Wiezer, N., de Weerd, M., Nielsen, K., Mattila-Holappa, P., & Mockałło, Z. (2016). The impact of restructuring on employee well-being: A systematic review of longitudinal studies. Work & Stress, 30(1), 91–114. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2015.1136710
Fløvik, L., Knardahl, S., & Christensen, J. O. (2019). The effect of organizational changes on the psychosocial work environment: Changes in psychological and social working conditions following organizational changes. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2845. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02845