The Power of Peer Community in Research Administration

Research administration has never been more complex, with rapidly changing regulations and policies calling for extra attention from administrators, all while the typical demands of the research lifecycle show no sign of slowing. Fortunately, the research administration community also has more opportunities for collaboration than ever before, opening new venues for overcoming challenges together. 

In our recent webinar, The Power of Peer Community in Research Administration, we invited Kansas State University’s Molly Robbins-Wint (Executive Director, Central Office of Sponsored Programs) and the University of South Alabama’s Jennifer Mills (Assistant Vice President for Sponsored Project Administration) to discuss how peer networks have helped navigate today’s biggest obstacles, and how research administration professionals everywhere can do the same.

In this blog, we’ll review the biggest tips and takeaways from their conversation to help you start harnessing the power of your peer community.

Key Takeaways

• You don’t have to solve challenges alone! Your peers are a powerful resource.
• The most valuable insights often come from informal conversations.
• Peer networks provide both practical solutions and emotional support.
• Building a network takes time, effort, intention, and consistency.
• Opportunities exist at every level: free or paid, virtual or in-person

The Reality of Research Administration Today

If there’s one theme that emerged early, it’s that a “typical” workweek looks very different than it did just a few years ago.

For one thing, evolving federal regulations mean administrators must spend more time absorbing what these changes mean for their institutions and adjusting processes to maintain compliance. New regulation requirements also call for more reporting, which compounds the administrative burden teams face. 

Many organizations are shifting to centralized, digital workflows to help keep up with changes and ensure reporting stays consistent and accurate. While the move away from outdated systems and manual processes is ultimately a net benefit that enables better research resilience, any infrastructure change also requires additional training to ensure everyone stays on the same page. 

These factors all combine to create a new status quo where offices must carefully balance change management while handling their typical day-to-day responsibilities.

Why Peer Community Matters More Than Ever

In the face of these challenges, both speakers pointed to one critical resource that they turn to when feeling overwhelmed: their peers.

When change comes fast, as it does in today’s research administration environment, many teams need to act before official sources can provide updated guidance or best practices. Fortunately, peer networks can help fill that gap. 

Peer networks provide validation that others are dealing with the same challenges, which goes a long way in supporting administrators who may feel alone in their struggles. Even better, consulting with peers provides perspective about how other teams are adapting, including what has worked and what hasn’t. This brainstorming can help everyone in the community learn to adapt with confidence, and questions are often met with fast answers and insightful conversations.

Jennifer described using peers as a validation check to avoid going down the wrong path, while Molly added that there is real value in “trauma bonding” through disussing shared challenges.

How Peer Networks Drive Real Impact

Beyond emotional support, engaging with peer communities delivers tangible, day-to-day value. Molly and Jennifer highlighted four key benefits they’ve found through peer collaboration.

1. Better decision-making

Hearing how other institutions approach policies or compliance helps leaders make more informed recommendations internally. There’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all advice in a field as varied as research, so it’s helpful to look at which approaches work the best for organizations similar to your own.

2. Faster problem solving

Instead of starting from scratch, administrators can learn from others who’ve already solved similar challenges. Even online, discussions with peers can progress faster than you may expect, with administrators passionate about sharing their own advice and breakthroughs.

3. Stronger change management

Bringing external examples to leadership builds credibility and accelerates buy-in. If you can explain that others are doing this—and why—it makes a huge difference in helping people embrace change.

4. Improved systems and workflows

Throughout their careers, both speakers relied heavily on peers to shape how they implemented systems and structured processes. Their experiences, in turn, help guide other peers navigating similar changes.

Building a Peer Network: Where to Start

For those just getting started, the good news is that building a peer network doesn’t require a big budget or even travel. While conferences and events are great opportunities to meet in person, online platforms make network-building more accessible than ever.

Molly and Jennifer touched on two best practices for building a peer network: starting small (but intentional) and varying your outreach opporunities.

Start small, but be intentional

Both speakers emphasized that strong networks don’t happen by accident. You have to be intentional, both proactively seeking connections when dealing with your own challenges and consistently engaging with other peers when they ask questions or spark discussions. 

This can have a snowball effect, where engaging with a small number of peers leads to more connections and a wider peer network over time.

Vary your network-building opportunities

Effective networking means engaging with peers from multiple angles, both online and in person. While not an exhaustive list, Molly and Jennifer provided six of their favorite platforms and venues for meeting and sparking discussions with peers:

• Professional associations (e.g., NCURA, SRAI, PRIMR, AAHRP)
• Conferences and user groups, often times part of an association
• Online communities and listservs
• LinkedIn 
• Mentorship programs
• Vendor Communities like the Cayuse Community

As Jennifer emphasized in the discussion, research administrators are eager to connect if you just make the effort to reach out. Even something as simple as a linkedin message can yield results, and this kind of outreach has never failed to start a conversation in her experience.

Don’t Overlook Your Internal Network

While external connections are critical, some of the most impactful networks are built within your own institution. 

Molly described creating structured internal communities that bring together stakeholders from central offices, departments, and faculty to collaborate on policies and systems. She emphasized three key principles for effectively promoting peer collaboration within your institution:

Include the right voices early

Reaching beyond the network you already engage with the most will help you gain a better understanding of how your institution functions as a whole. This practice is especially important for change management, when you want to ensure that any process updates work for everyone, not just your team.

Don’t avoid difficult stakeholders

It may seem counterproductive, but it’s essential to include voices that can challenge you. More often than not, they are coming from a well-intentioned place and are informed by knowledge that your team may lack. Ultimately, challenging your preconceptions is a great way to find the best solutions to your problems.

Create ongoing forums, not one-time conversations

As is the case with external network-building, internal networking requires you to set aside dedicated space and time for collaboration. Establishing a cadence of networking forums builds lasting connections and ongoing conversations more likely to yield positive results. Even setting up a messaging channel for these kinds of conversations can reinforce network-building and keep stakeholders engaged.

The Role of Leadership

Leaders play an especially crucial role in fostering peer engagement, as they often set an example and have the power to make lasting change. 

The key is to encourage and enable your team to build their communities. That means giving teams and team members permission to spend time building connections, encouraging them to bring back ideas from conferences, conversations or online forums, and creating a culture where external insights are valued

As the speakers emphasize, team leaders set the tone. Your team members need to know that it’s okay to go learn from others and bring that back.

Keep the Conversation Going

One of the easiest ways to start building your peer network is by joining an active community.

The Cayuse Community is open to everyone — no customer status required — and offers a space to ask questions, share insights, and connect with peers across institutions.