Philips Nat.Lab.

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Philips Nat.Lab.
Introduction 1) The Research Department in
Context, 2) The Birth of Industrial Research
Laboratories, 3) Philips Nat.Lab.s Knowledge
Management Discussion
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The Philips Company
The start of Philips in Eindhoven 1891
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The Philips Company
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The Philips Company
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The Philips Company
The expansion and diversification in the 1900 -
1920
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The Philips Company
Philips Idezet Radio Tube
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The Philips Company
Radio as a commercial product 1927
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The Philips Company
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The Industrial Research Laboratory
The historical context of scientific Research
Institutes
Francis Bacons (1627) ideal - science as
servant of society in Salomos House (Nova
Atlantis) - knowledge is power
Industrial Research Instituties

• science and technology as a siametic twin,
• fundamental research versus applied research.

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The birth of University Research Labs
Johannes van der Waals Heike Kamerlingh
Onnes Liquidization of Helium ( 1905)
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The birth of Industrial Research Labs

• Scientific Research in Industry
• At the end of the nineteenth century invention
  changed from an individual act into an outcome of
  an organizational process. Teamwork became
  important.

• - Big industrial labs emerged around 1900
• GE, Bell, Kodak, Siemens, Philips Nat.Lab.,
• patents (outcome of scientific research) as
  market instruments,
• scientists in servant of capitalism?
• (Knowledge) Management problem.

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Science, technology the researcher and the
institute
Thomas Edison in his lab
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The Industrial Research Laboratory
Definition of an industrial research
department set apart from production
facilities, staffed by people trained in science
and advanced engineering who work toward deeper
understandings of corporate-related science and
technology, and who are organized and
administered to keep them somewhat insulated from
immediate demands yet responsive to long-term
company needs (Reich, 1985).
Its importance The greatest invention of the
nineteenth century was the invention of the
method of invention (Whitehead).
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Philips Nat.Lab.
Period 1914 1945, director Gilles Holst. -
humble start as a small organization, -
diversification and organizational growth, -
Knowledge Management.
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Nat.Lab. Research and Products
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Nat.Lab. Products
Penthode tube
Metalix tube
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Philips Nat.Lab.

• The Nat.Lab. Under Holst
• Early period (1914 1923)
• Patent Law, 1910,
• Hybrid character with respect to types of work,
• Small population,
• Organizational growth after 1923 due to the
  companies diversification strategy.

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Philips Nat.Lab.

• The Nat.Lab. under Holst
• Period 1923 1946
• Enabling Philips diversification program,
• Increase of means,
• Formal management with informal aspects,
• ORCO meetings, RD networks.

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Knowledge Management at the Philips Nat.Lab.

• K.M. at the Nat.Lab. on three levels
• the individual researchers,
• groupwork,
• organizational embeddedness.

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Philips Nat.Lab.
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Successful scientific research teamwork and
products
Shockley, Bardeen and Brattain the invention of
the transistor at the Bell labs.
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First Period Embedded

• A small Institute as a servant for the company
  with Holst as director
• Anton Philips as dominant company leader,
• diversification and internationalization,
• - publications and patents.

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Second Period Isolated

• A famous international research institute with
  Casimir as director
• science as the endless frontier,
• growing company and lab with formal structure,
• fundamental research and scientific freedom,
• - isolated from production, bad communication.

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Hendrik Casimir
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Booming Science at Philips
Philips Cyclotron
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Third Period Contracted

• Closely connected to the Company with Pannenborg
  as director
• economic crisis, bad sides of industries
  (environmental polution),
• contract research (2/3 of the budget), free
  research (1/3 of the budget),
• technology roadmaps.

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The Philips Nat.Lab.

• An industrial research laboratory as a paradox
• an investment in uncertainty,
• organizational context
• - entrepreneurial behavior,
• scientific research as a promising investment.