Managing freedom:Managing researchers as if they were warriors

摘要

One still under-discussed topic is the optimal way of managing research. It might be under-discussed because the cultures of research and management do not mix very well. Scientists have written vigorously against modern management [2-5]. On the other hand, management theory, coming from an industrial background, struggles with the difference between research and regular production activities. Nevertheless, interesting analyses have been published on managing creativity that are immediately applicable to big Pharma research [6-8] and in which many scientists would feel themselves wholeheartedly understood. For 12 years, I have experienced this divide, as a scientific researcher and a husband to a senior management consultant. In order to bring management and research cultures together, 1 would like to review here the main ideas in innovation management literature and illustrate them using the popular metaphor of researchers as warriors.