8.6. LEADERSHIP IN A CREATIVE RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT

In an R&D organization, a person holding an important leadership position would normally have a significant research program. In many U.S. government departments and in industry, some individuals have oversight responsibility for research organizations, although they are not involved in research program execution. It is therefore useful to focus on those leadership and managerial aspects that are directly involved in managing and executing an important research program involving a significant number (say 50 or more) of scientists and engineers.

Mintzberg (1975, p. 61) suggests a number of leadership or managerial skills that are important. These are developing peer relationships, conducting negotiations, motivating employees, resolving conflicts, obtaining and disseminating information, making decisions in conditions of extreme ambiguity, and allocating resources. In an R&D organization, some additional activities are important, such as establishing information networks in order to relate to the wider scientific community and to attract and recruit highly qualified personnel.

Persons who reach the position of managing a significant research program are precluded from thinking deeply or broadly about anything because of time constraints. In most R&D managerial positions, managers are not able to do any serious, original, or conceptual work. Most people in these positions work long hours and are very busy. They must deal with a number of constituencies, which include such typical individuals or groups as the director of the research organization, research sponsors (who normally provide funding for the research effort), the user community (who might use the research effort and have some effect on research funding), researchers within the group, peers in the scientific community, and, last but not least, the nonscientific bureaucracy (this may include the comptroller, personnel office, and contracting office). Any experienced R&D manager knows that difficulties are likely to arise if any one of these constituencies is ignored. Effectively executing the research program and meeting demands placed by individuals in these constituencies can keep an R&D manager quite busy indeed. A quotation attributed to Thoreau states: "It is not enough to be busy...the question is, what are we busy about?"

Thus the question is, What is a manager to do? It is important to realize that a manager in an important leadership position must continue to meet the day-to-day responsibilities placed on him or her by the job. In addition, he or she must focus on the long-term requirements of the organization and must consider strategic and policy implications for the research group. In terms of individual performance and organization effectiveness discussed earlier, the manager has to look at issues not just in terms of process and result indicators, but also in terms of strategic indicators. Focusing on strategic issues requires creative thinking and serious reflection because it has the added problem of inherent uncertainties, risks, and delayed gratification (if any). This focus, perhaps more than anything else, provides for the long-term productivity of an R&D organization and for the excellence for which a leader may want to strive. Being busy doing day-to-day things simply is not enough. An effective R&D manager has to integrate the efforts of others, provide foresight for strategic issues, and, at the same time, make technical contributions in the area of his/her specialty.