George F. Farris

Knowledge Management in Research and Development

OVERVIEW: Some R&D organizations have derived significant value from embracing knowledge management (KM) principles in order to promote the flow of both resident knowledge and external information. R&Ds innovation charter demands a focus different from that of other functions, specifically, to nurture open access to peoples extensive tacit knowledge—that which is “in and between minds.” Your companys culture and structure will be the critical factors enabling knowledge flow, with choice of IT tools of secondary importance. From the many initiatives used by leading companies, there are at least six to choose so that you: 1) instill goals/strategies, 2) access tacit knowledge, 3) provide search tools, 4) promote creativity, 5) capture new learning, and 6) build a supportive culture. This last, most important, initiative—culture change—will take time and involve the entire business. A sustained commitment to the program is thus required. The results will be “worth the wait” in gold.

Effects of Structural Position on Allocation and Evaluation Decisions for Scientists and Engineers in Industrial R&D

This paper examines the influence of the structural positions of different demographic groups in the science and engineering labor force on their access to the allocation of favorable work experiences and their effect on decisions about the evaluation of their performance. Our hypotheses challenge assumptions in the management literature that each group will necessarily express ingroup bias and outgroup derogation. Instead, we call attention to the status hierarchy that develops from status construction processes, the prototypicality that emerges from social categorization processes, and a framework of stereotype content that is based on an analysis of structural positions among groups in the society. Using hierarchical linear modeling with survey data from scientists and engineers in research and development in 24 major corporations, we find that U.S.-born white males, who constitute the normative ingroup, receive advantages in both allocation and evaluation decisions from all evaluators, not just from other white men. We also find that normative outgroups (non-male, non-whites, and/or non-U.S. born) receive ambivalent or indifferent more than discriminatory or biased treatment, depending on their structural position in relation to U.S.-born white men, and that these effects are independent of who is doing the rating.

Do rewards benefit the organization? the effects of reward types and the perceptions of diverse R&D professionals

Previous compensation research has focused primarily on individual benefits derived from monetary rewards and has tacitly assumed that diverse organization members hold similar beliefs regarding the efficacy of specific rewards. This article compares the beliefs held by members of diverse demographic groups in R&D organizations regarding the extent to which different types of rewards produce organizational benefits. Results based on evaluations from over 1000 R&D scientists and engineers across 30 companies found that intrinsic rewards and salary increases were widely believed to provide benefits to an organization. Individual cash rewards were generally seen as providing the fewest benefits. However, members of different ethnic groups and genders held different beliefs about the utility of several rewards. The article concludes by suggesting how similarities and differences in beliefs across a diverse group of employees could affect the management of rewards in R&D settings.

Performance of alliances: formative stages and changing organizational and environmental influences

There is near unanimous agreement that the performance of alliances usually falls short of expectations. Studies have identified several generic reasons for poor performance: inadequate communication, lack of trust, insufficient complementarity of resources, inappropriate organizational structures and processes, and so on. While we broadly agree with these, knowledge of these self-evident reasons does not seem to have turned the tide of bad news in any way. We show in this paper that it is important to unpack a broad set of antecedent variables, including the ones identified above, and to track them over the crucial formative stages of an alliance. Based on our interviews with 24 senior and middle level managers and professionals of a focal company about 10 of its major alliances, we identify the following four formative stages of an alliance: (1) Recognition, (2) Research, (3) Relationship Set-up, and (4) Ramp up. We show that the primary predictors of success across these stages are not identical, nor their effect uniform. Further, proper completion of all the preceding stages is essential for the success of subsequent stages. We finally show that the compaction of the various successful stages, in particular of the Ramp-Up stage, is one of the best predictors of overall success of an alliance.

Leading your scientists and engineers 2002

OVERVIEW: Review of the recent literature on the management of scientists and engineers updates the four categories of study identified by M. K. Badawy in his 1988 survey (1), and identifies six new areas. Badawys review covered human resources planning, rewarding scientists and engineers, appraising the performance of scientists and engineers, and career management. The new developments impacting the way scientists and engineers are managed comprise cross-functional teams, leading scientists and engineers, knowledge management, demographic diversity, electronic technology, and outsourcing. Based on this updated review of the literature, actions are recommended in each of these ten areas for leading scientists and engineers in todays business environment.

Web-Enabled Innovation in New Product Development

OVERVIEW: Knowledge management in the innovation process has become inextricably linked with intranets, with the Internet, and with networks public and private. This study takes the concept of knowledge flow for the new product development (NPD) process reported previously and considers the application of Web-based tools and methods to it (Web-enablement). A model, called the Web of Innovation, will permit an organization to benchmark and develop its own e-knowledge management program for the NPD process. A survey of software tools for enabling the web-based management of innovation within NPD shows that the most useful tools are not the most highly used, and commercial tools will usually require customization. Metrics have been difficult to apply to the use of these tools, and quantification of bottom-line impact remains elusive.

Career development opportunities and likelihood of turnover among R&D professionals

It is commonly assumed that the turnover of R&D professionals can be reduced by providing them with opportunities for career development within their company. This study suggests that this may not always be the case. Findings from a study of over two thousand R&D professionals suggest that their likelihood of turnover changes with the types of career development opportunities they are provided. Professionals provided with opportunities to develop their technical careers are more likely to leave their current employer, but less likely to leave R&D for other areas of the company. Moreover, professionals provided with managerial development opportunities are more likely to leave R&D for other areas of the company, but less likely to leave their current employer. >

Favoritism, Bias, and Error in Performance Ratings of Scientists and Engineers: The Effects of Power, Status, and Numbers

In this paper we argue that the sociostructural position of groups must be taken into consideration along with motivational and cognitive processes to explain evaluations received and made by women, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians. With this framework, we analyze performance ratings for a sample of 2,445 scientists and engineers from 24 U.S. companies and find that (a) there is more evidence of in-group favoritism than of out-group derogation; (b) high status, dominant, and majority group members enjoy favoritism expressed as a global prototype of them as competent; and (c) subordinate, minority group members “overshoot” in opposite ways toward other groups depending on their status and the status level of the target group. We find these effects even after controlling for self-reported productivity and for various errors inherent in the evaluation process.

Supervisors in R&D laboratories: using technical, people, and administrative skills effectively

A study of 2172 technical professionals finds that the more their supervisors possess technical, but in particular, people and administrative skills, the more their work environment is stimulating. Moreover, the more their work environment is stimulating, the greater their performance and job satisfaction. In addition, the study finds that the more their work environment is stimulating, the less the technical and people skills of their supervisors help their performance and job satisfaction, the less the administrative skills of their supervisors hurt their performance, and the more the administrative skills of their supervisors help their job satisfaction. The implications of the findings for helping R&D supervisors use technical, people, and administrative skills effectively to increase the performance and job satisfaction of their subordinates are discussed.

Gender and race/ethnic composition of technical work groups: Relationship to creative productivity and morale

Abstract This study explores the relationship of the gender and race/ethnic composition of work groups for 2331 research and development professionals with measures of creative productivity and morale. We find that male professionals appear to be more innovative and more likely to remain in their laboratories in predominantly male work groups, while female professionals appear to find more job satisfaction in predominantly female work groups. We find that non-Hispanic white technical professionals appear to have more patents in racially balanced work groups (defined by an equal number of whites and nonwhites), but they appear to find more job satisfaction where whites are the majority and are more likely to remain in the laboratory in all-white work groups. The relationships of group composition for nonwhites differed by subgroup. Outcomes for black technical professionals were less favorable in racially balanced work groups. No significant relationships of work group composition were found for Asians and Hispanics.