SEVEN KEYS TO BUILDING A ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAM NCHRP SYNTHESIS 280

1
SEVEN KEYS TO BUILDING A ROBUST RESEARCH
PROGRAMNCHRP SYNTHESIS 280

• Thomas B. Deen, Consultant
• and
• Barbara T. Harder, B. T. Harder, Inc.

2
SOME BACKGROUND

• NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
  SYNTHESIS 280
• NOTES IN THIS TALK FROM RECENT TOM DEEN
  PRESENTATION -- HIS EXPERIENCES AND MY OWN
• A BIT DIFFERENT REPORT THAN STANDARD NCHRP WORK
  ANECDOTES, PEOPLES NAMES USED, EXPERIENCES
  DETAILED.

3
SYNTHESIS PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

• FIND OUT WHAT MAKES A ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAM?

4
SOMETHING STILL WAS MISSING

• WORK HAS BEEN DONE ON RESEARCH PROGRAM
  MANAGEMENT, RESEARCH CONDUCT, AND GETTING USEFUL
  PRODUCTS PUT INTO PRACTICE
• WE SAW THAT DOING GOOD IS NOT ENOUGH, RESEARCH
  PROGRAMS MUST BE PERCEIVED AS DOING GOOD.

5
PRINCIPLES BACKED UP WITH STORIES

• INTERVIEWED 21 PEOPLETOP MANAGERS, RESEARCH
  MANGERS IN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR AND
  INTERNATIONAL LEADERS
• FOCUS GROUP OF RESEARCH MANAGERS
• STATE DOT PEER EXCHANGE MEETINGS
• LITERATURE

6
WHY DO PROGRAMS DIFFER SO DRAMATICALLY?

• WE NOTED THAT SOME RESEARCH PROGRAMS ARE
  SUSTAINED AT A HIGH LEVEL OVER TIME OTHERS
  STRUGGLE, RELYING ON FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS TO DO
  RESEARCH

7
WE NOTED THAT

• THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EFFECTIVE AND
  ROBUST
• GIVEN RESEARCH PROGRAMS MUST BE EFFECTIVE
• MUST PRODUCE HIGH QUALITY RESULTS
• WELL TARGETED PRODUCTS APPLIED TO REAL PROBLEMS

8
AND WE NOTED.

• ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMS
• WORTHY OF EMULATION ARE MODELS
• FLOURISH AND THRIVE
• VIGOROUS, VITAL AND ENDURING
• CONTRIBUTING MEMBERS OF THE TEAM THAT ACHIEVES
  ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS
• ADD VALUE TO PARENT ORGANIZATION

9
IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS

• FINDINGS HAVE IMPLICATIONS IMPORTANT AT MANY
  POINTS IN RESEARCH ACTIVITY
• MAKE UP MAJOR POINTS IN RESEARCH MANAGERS JOB
  DESCRIPTION
• IN TYPE OF PERSON WHO SHOULD BE MANAGING RESEARCH
  
• IN RESPONSIBILITIES OF TOP MANAGEMENT TOWARD
  RESEARCH

10
IS IT THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

• SOME INTERVIEWEES WOULD SAY THE MOST IMPORTANT
  KEY IS A TOP EXECUTIVE WHO BELIEVES IN RESEARCH
• IF YOU GET A REAL BELIEVER, THAT CAO CAN MAKE IT
  HAPPEN
• BUT, WE NOTED LOTS OF TURNOVER IN STATE DOT
  MANAGEMENT, AND SOME PROGRAMS REMAIN STRONG
  CANT BE TOTALLY DEPENDENT ON CAO

11
IS IT THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

• TOP MANAGEMENT THAT IS NOT PREDISPOSED TOWARD
  RESEARCH IS A TOUGH SELL
• MOST MOST CHIEF EXECUTIVES BEGIN THEIR TERMS
  INDIFFERENT TO RESEARCH

12
FINDING

• A ROBUST PROGRAM HAS SUPPORTERS THROUGHOUT THE
  TOP MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE
• THESE FOLKS WILL INFORM A NEW EXECUTIVE ABOUT THE
  IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH

13
SUSTAINING SUPPORT

• THE 7 KEYS TELL HOW YOU GET RESEARCH BELIEVERS
  THROUGHOUT THE MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE WHICH PERMITS
  LIVING THROUGH THE INDIFFERENT EXECUTIVES WHILE
  THEY ARE BECOMING SUPPORTERS.

14
ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMSTRUST

• TRUST IS MOST IMPORTANT
• TRUST RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESEARCH PROGRAM AND
  PARENT ORGANIZATION
• TRUST EXTENDS IN BOTH DIRECTIONS UP AND DOWN --
  CAN BE INJURED BY CARELESSNESS OR INATTENTION OF
  EITHER PARTY
• THE OTHER 6 KEYS ARE REALLY AIMED AT BUILDING
  TRUST

15
ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMSMARKET IT BOLDLY

• SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH MANAGERS UNDERSTAND THAT
  MARKETING IS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT
• PEOPLE DONT ALWAYS KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT OR HOW TO
  EVALUATE RESEARCH
• NEW SOLUTIONS ALWAYS REQUIRE CHANGE PEOPLE AND
  ORGANIZATIONS RESIST CHANGE
• STATE DOTS ARE ESPECIALLY RESISTANT TO CHANGE

16
ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMSROOT IN ECONOMICS

• ECONOMICS IS THE BASICS FOR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
  SECTOR BUSINESS
• RESEARCH MANAGERS OFTEN PICKED FOR THEIR
  TECHNICAL ABILITIES AND QUANTITATIVE SKILLS BUT
  THINKING IN MAY BE A MORE VALUABLE SKILL
• THERE IS A NEED TO USE ECONOMIC RATIONALE FOR
  RESEARCH PROGRAM INVESTMENTS

17
ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMSMAKE DEALS UNABASHEDLY

• DIRECTORS OF ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMS TEND TO BE
  BOLD IN THEIR CULTIVATION OF ALLIANCES OF ALL
  TYPES
• MANY ROBUST PROGRAMS WERE COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN
  DOTS AND UNIVERSITIES AND OTHERS

18
DEALS AND ALLIANCES

• ADVANTAGES BIGGER SCALE, MORE CONSTITUENTS,
  BETTER MARKET FOR OUTPUT, BETTER STAFF
• PRIVATE SECTOR HAS SET THE PACE
• STATES WITH SMALLER RESEARCH BUDGETS HAVE MADE
  GOOD USE OF ALLIANCES, E.G., NEW ENGLAND STATES,
  NE, DE, NEW MEXICO,
• NOT ALWAYS EASY MEANS CROSSING ORGANIZATIONAL
  LINES, SUFFERING LOSS OF SOME CONTROL

19
ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMSINSIST ON ACCOUNTABILITY

• THERE IS A TENDENCY TO NEGLECT MANAGEMENT AND
  OVERSIGHT OF RESEARCH BY TOP MANAGERS USE
  STRATEGY OF HOPE RATHER THAN CONSIDER RESEARCH
  AS AN ASSET THAT REQUIRES MANAGEMENT
• GOOD REASONS FOR THIS TENDENCY

20
ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUES

• HARDER TO RUN RESEARCH BY THE NUMBERS
• CANT ALWAYS INSIST THAT THEY MEET A DEADLINE
• OTHER UNITS RESENT RESEARCH BEING EXEMPT FROM
  THIS REQUIREMENT
• GOOD RESEARCH MANAGERS WILL FIND WAYS TO BE
  ACCOUNTABLE EVEN IF NOT REQUIRED BY TOP
  MANAGEMENT
• AT BEST ACCOUNTABILITY IS A TWO-WAY STREET IT IS
  A BI-DIRECTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

21
ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMSEMBRACE POLICY RESEARCH

• INTERVIEWEES DIDNT MENTION POLICY RESEARCH WHEN
  ASKED ABOUT KEY ATTRIBUTES, BUT WHEN REMINDED
  THEY ALL HIGHLIGHTED ITS IMPORTANCE
• ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMS INCLUDE POLICY RESEARCH
  IN THEIR PORTFOLIOS
• POLICY RESEARCH PROVIDES A COMMUNICATION CHANNEL
  BETWEEN RESEARCH AND TOP MANAGEMENT
• STRATEGIC ISSUES

22
ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMSEMPOWER THE STAFF

• CANT JUST PUT GOOD PEOPLE IN THE LAB, MUST LET
  THEM ROAM
• INTERACT WITH THOSE THAT HAVE THE PROBLEM AND
  KNOW RELEVANT TECHNOLOGY
• WORK ACROSS ORGANIZATIONAL LINES
• BECOME FAMILIAR WITH POTENTIALLY RESEARCHABLE
  PROBLEMS OF PARENTAL UNITS
• INTERACT WITH PEERS TO TRAVEL TO RESEARCH
  SITES, TO MEET WITH OTHERS WORKING ON SIMILAR
  PROBLEMS

23
ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMSSUMMARY

• NOT ALL PROGRAMS USE ALL SEVEN KEYS, BUT WE FIND
  THAT USING MORE IS BETTER
• APPEAR TO BE UNIVERSAL APPLYING TO
• PUBLIC AND PRIVATE AND INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
• LARGE AND SMALL UNITS
• STATE AND NATIONAL IN SCOPE

24
ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMSSUMMARY

• UNDERSTANDING THE SEVEN KEYS CAN INFLUENCE
• RESEARCH MANAGERS JOB DESCRIPTION
• WHO SHOULD BE HIRED FOR THE JOB
• HOW TO SPEND RESEARCH MONEY
• WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE RESEARCH PORTFOLIO
• CHOICE OF PARTNERS/COLLABORATORS
• AND JUST ABOUT EVERY OTHER FACTOR IN RESEARCH

25
ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMSRECOMMENDATIONS

• TOOLS AND MATERIALS FOR RESEARCH MANAGERS FOR
• DEVELOPMENT OF MARKETING EFFORTS
• FORMATION OF ALLIANCES, TO LEVERAGE RESOURCES,
  IMPROVE NEEDED SKILLS AND ENHANCE CONSENSUS
  BUILDING
• ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

26
ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMS RECOMMENDATIONS

• TOOLS AND MATERIALS FOR RESEARCH MANAGERS FOR
• APPROPRIATE NON-CUMBURSOME ACCOUNTABILITY
  METHODS
• ANTICIPATING POLICY ISSUES BEFORE THEY BECOME
  CRITICAL AND PERFORMANCE OF POLICY RESEARCH
• INCORPORATING RESEARCH INTO DEPARTMENT STRATEGIC
  PLANS

27
ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMSRECOMMENDATIONS

• TRAINING MATERIALS TO ENHANCE SKILLS (MARKETING,
  ET AL)
• TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SENIOR DOT MANAGERS TO
  BETTER ACQUAINT THEM WITH ELEMEMTS OF ROBUST
  RESEARCH PROGRAMS

28
ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMSRECOMMENDATIONS

• INVESTIGATING BARRIERS ASSOCIATED WITH BUILDING
  ALLIANCES AND PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN DOT RESEARCH
  UNITS AND OTHER GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTOR
  RESEARCH ENTITIES
• METHODS TO DECREASE CYCLE TIME OF RESEARCH
  PROJECTS TO MATCH USER NEEDS