Author(s)
  Howells, Jeremy R.

Source
  Research Policy Mar 1995, v24n2, p. 169-184 (16 pages)

Abstract:
  Many multinational companies are now faced with coordinating and managing a range of research and development (R&D) laboratories and technical and design centers spread across the world. The use of information and communication technology (ICT) has been seen by R&D managers as one means of helping to deal with the problems and issues that have arisen with this expansion of international research networks. However, while communication within the R&D function has been seen as crucial in research and innovation performance, most of the stress in the use of ICT in research until recently has been in improving productivity. An examination is made of some of the new ways that companies are using computer-mediated communication systems as a way to improve communication and information flows between dispersed sites and the new types of work organization that are emerging. In addition, some of the benefits and problems associated with implementing these new structures and forms of working R&D are explored.