Applying Quality Practices to R&D

Abstract

Quality in RD namely, leadership and a variety of managerial practices (2). Many executives and quality experts have doubts concerning comprehensive approaches which are based on judging managerial practices rather than clear measurements of outputs (2). However, holistic approaches are selected by research managers who study the innovation process (3). The European Foundation for Quality Management has concluded that quality is best assessed by emphasizing equally the measurement of results and the identification of enablers that lead to a superior performance (4). The drive for quality arises from a strategic vision of top management that leads to the implementation of managerial practices and the engineering of processes, which in turn combine with personnel involvement to produce superior results. The extension of quality to RD but for most executives, quality is another name for effectiveness in R&D. The following questions that we chose to investigate recognize that quality in R&D is being taken seriously by R&D managers. 1. What does quality mean in the context of R&D management? Do managers view quality in R&D as a single criterion or as a multi-dimensional construct? 2. Do firms, given their resources and competitive situations, have different approaches to managing R&D quality? 3. What distinct practices are associated with the different approaches to managing quality in R&D? Our methodology involved, first, interviewing research directors in 50 large international firms. Then, a measurement instrument was designed and responses from 45 executives were analyzed. Only executives who had previously been interviewed responded in writing. The respondents were from 45 large multinational firms involved in electronic products, fine chemicals, computing devices, telecommunications, and a few utilities. The group of respondents was also international: 17 from North America, 14 from Europe and 14 from Japan. The Meaning of Quality The construct of quality in R&D that emerges from our investigation is multidimensional. In interviews, many executives stressed that quality in R&D mostly meant the transfer of R&D results to commercial applications. However, the response to our measurement instruments showed that engineering of processes played a large role. A statistical analysis to uncover the dimensions that underlie the concept of quality led to the identification of the four factors depicted in Table 3. (Table 3 omitted) Concerns for quality in R&D are not limited to narrow recommendations on administrative systems, statistical tools or customer orientation. On the contrary, quality in R&D, according to our respondents, is achieved through a holistic approach primarily involving administrative processes, strategic analysis, cross-functional integration, and the participation of scientists and engineers. Managerial Practices Associated with Quality Senior R&D directors employ numerous managerial practices to achieve quality in R&D. Managers stress that quality is achieved through strategic analysis, administrative processes, evaluation of research, and business relationships with clients. Table 2 lists the ten most often-used practices. Table 3 lists the practices that form the major dimensions of quality. …