Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2007
Abstract
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nineteen senior North American business practitioners in multinational corporations to understand their experiences with strategic planning and resource allocation for R&D. In particular, we sought to elicit insight about where planning and allocation overlap, and how they are executed today, vs. five to ten years ago. Findings indicate the outsourcing of R&D is rapidly increasing. R&D is becoming an operational business function as opposed to an internal investment in key knowledge for future firm sustainability. R&D also appears to no longer be a major focus of the strategic planning effort at the highest management levels. Conclusions are that 1.) Practitioners are having to act quickly for the short term without having time to plan strategy for the long term; 2.) The economic environment is changing so rapidly that formal planning processes are too static for today’s tumultuous business world; and, 3.) There are so many options for acquiring R&D via “open innovation,” that managers perceive it to be an operating manager’s choice versus a strategic decision.
Keywords
management, R&D, strategy, outsourcing, economic competence, core competence
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Gibbon, Beth Fitz, "What Are They Thinking About R&D? A Strategic Core Competence, Or An Operational Business Decision?" (2007). Student Scholarship. 523.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/523
