From Individual Contributor to First-Line Manager in Indian CROs: Direct Reports’ Perspectives in Centralized Clinical Research Teams

The transition from Individual Contributor (IC) to First-Line Manager (FLM) represents a critical career milestone in the highly regulated Indian clinical research sector. Within centralized operational models such as Centralized Monitoring and electronic Trial Master File (eTMF) oversight, FLMs are required to balance technical compliance demands with effective people leadership. Despite the strategic importance of these roles, empirical research capturing direct reports’ perspectives remains limited. This study adopted a qualitative approach informed by grounded theory principles to explore how direct reports perceive managerial behaviors, effectiveness, and challenges in centralized teams. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine professionals (n = 9) working across centralized functions in Indian contract research organizations (CROs). Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method to identify recurring patterns in the manager–report relationship. The findings indicate a clear contrast in leadership experiences. Positive direct report perceptions were associated with relational trust, psychological safety, consistent communication, and empowerment. In contrast, negative experiences were linked to technical credibility gaps, communication breakdowns, and perceived favoritism. Reporting duration emerged as an important contextual factor: shorter reporting tenures reflected greater tolerance for managerial learning curves, whereas longer tenures without visible developmental progress were associated with frustration and reduced morale. The study highlights that FLM effectiveness in centralized clinical research teams is a developmental process shaped by relational competence and organizational support. By foregrounding psychological safety as an important enabler of trust and team resilience, this study contributes a bottom‑up perspective to leadership literature within the clinical research industry and offers practical insights for designing interventions that strengthen communication, fairness, and psychologically safe team environments during early managerial transitions.