UNSPECIFIED (2001) Knowledge management capabilities in R&D: a UK-Japan company comparison. R & D MANAGEMENT, 31 (3). pp. 335-347. ISSN 0033-6807

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Abstract

This paper uses a 'knowledge-based' approach to compare the management of R&D in two leading chemicals companies, one British (ICI plc) and one Japanese. It describes key differences in the ways they integrate the 'near-market' knowledge of business units and the scientific knowledge and technical expertise of R&D personnel in central R&D facilities. It shows that the same management practices that underpin superior 'integrative capabilities' in the Japanese firm, including central funding of R&D, job-rotation and career structures and multidisciplinary project teams, also result in significant R&D weaknesses. The comparison demonstrates that different organisational mechanisms are needed to support (1) the development and (2) the leveraging of specialist knowledge within different innovation contexts. Firms must be able to strike a balance between integrative and specialist capabilities to get the most from their R&D. Moreover, the above characteristics which underpin these capabilities are often 'embedded' in the broader organisation making them difficult to emulate when they represent 'best-practice' but also making them difficult to change in response to new threats and opportunities.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HF Commerce H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management
Journal or Publication Title:	R & D MANAGEMENT
Publisher:	BLACKWELL PUBL LTD
ISSN:	0033-6807
Date:	July 2001
Volume:	31
Number:	3
Number of Pages:	13
Page Range:	pp. 335-347
Publication Status:	Published
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/11836

Data sourced from Thomson Reuters' Web of Knowledge

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