Management of a research group

Abstract

It is generally believed that research and commerce are unique and different activities. However, the criteria of good business management can also be applied to research programmes, with much benefit to the latter. The objectives of both are fundamentally similar: in one case to produce goods and services, in the other to produce scientific papers. The most successful goods and services, and scientific projects, are those which are closely geared to the desires of consumers--whether the latter be the general public or large organisations. Science, like business, requires good leadership and good people-management. The characteristics of a successful science leader are often remarkably similar to those of a business leader. Individuals within any team must be carefully selected, adequately briefed, and then allowed to proceed with the job in hand. Obtaining resources for scientific research is also very similar to the funding of business activities--all come down to competition between different products and services. The end product of scientific research--the published paper--requires marketing in exactly the same way as a business product. Without such marketing the programme is almost always a failure. The effectiveness of a research programme must be monitored with the same care as would be devoted to a business. If research performance does not reach reasonably defined criteria, then resources are generally withdrawn--the equivalent of a bankruptcy in commerce.