Management styles in industrial R&D organisations

This paper aims to understand whether there are different styles of organisation and management of industrial R&D activities. Recent cases of re‐organisation of R&D activities within firms suggest that: R&D activities tend to be carried out in different units of the same organisation and often in different locations, and there seem to be inter‐industry differences among R&D processes. This paper attempts to explore whether and how a certain managerial/organisational style relates to the type of the R&D process (which varies from industry to industry) and to the different nature of the R&D activities. It also identifies the key characteristics of the R&D organisation and the strategic management of technology, associated with each style. The analysis is based upon an empirical study of 19 multinationals operating in various industrial sectors. A classification of the types of R&D process is adopted and the key characteristics of R&D management and organisation in each R&D type are described and discussed.