The Management of Research Services

Abstract

The organization and function of a Research Services Laboratory are described. This laboratory groups together service functions that require research caliber personnel and centralizes major items of capital research equipment. Advantages to both the Research Services Laboratory and to the rest of the research function are obtained by having this activity report to the Director of Research. By means of a project order numbering system, accounting for these services can be handled very simply from the user's point of view while adequate accountability and control are maintained. Service groups do well to avoid a primary responsibility for administering government contracts since this would limit the availability of services to the research staff. Good administration in a research service group calls for striking the proper balance between overload and idleness, between short- and long-range jobs and between requested and self-generated research. Personnel relations differ from those in non-service groups and the recruiting problem is greater. At the same time, Research Services is an excellent assignment for developing management talent. It is important that a Research Services Laboratory grow with the activities it supports, and there are a number of ways in which expansion into new service roles might occur with profit.