The role of knowledge management in R&D: a survey of Danish R&D leaders' perceptions and beliefs

Abstract

R&D management is drawn in different directions by changes in competitive pressure and in the process of creating and utilising new scientific knowledge. The literature suggests that knowledge management, communication, dealing with teams, access to external knowledge and evaluating performance are high on the list of challenges for Ramp;D managers. We have investigated the perceptions and beliefs of Danish R&D managers by asking a sample of them to rate the importance of issues connected to current management development. One very clear conclusion from our study is that Danish research managers are very much concerned with managing knowledge and its underlying social processes rather than merely the management of the generation of knowledge. Differences could be attributed to the size of R&D departments and their research intensity.