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Focusing on a public research organization committed to tackling a major challenge—namely, that of considering the climate and environmental transition in conjunction with food, agriculture, and ecology issues—our study draws on fifty interviews (twenty-one with directors of research or research support units, and twenty-nine with other staff members from those same twenty-one units) to analyze the tensions and contradictions that arise in this context. Our findings point to the organizational complexity inherent in responding to such a major challenge and highlight the tensions that run through the day-to-day activity of the organization. Far from hindering collective action, these tensions prove to be fruitful: they are transcended by organizational mechanisms that foster dialogue, co-construction, and collective intelligence. This study also provides a renewed perspective on the role of research unit directors, highlighting the importance of servant leadership—collectively oriented and supportive—in helping to resolve major systemic challenges on a day-to-day basis.