SEVEN KEYS TO BUILDING A ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAM NCHRP SYNTHESIS 280 Thomas B. Deen, Consultant and Barbara T. Harder, B. T. Harder, Inc.

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER2 SOME BACKGROUND n NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM SYNTHESIS 280 n NOTES IN THIS TALK FROM RECENT TOM DEEN PRESENTATION -- HIS EXPERIENCES AND MY OWN n A BIT DIFFERENT REPORT THAN STANDARD NCHRP WORK – ANECDOTES, PEOPLES NAMES USED, EXPERIENCES DETAILED.

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER3 SYNTHESIS PRIMARY OBJECTIVE n FIND OUT WHAT MAKES A ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAM?

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER4 SOMETHING STILL WAS MISSING n WORK HAS BEEN DONE ON RESEARCH PROGRAM MANAGEMENT, RESEARCH CONDUCT, AND GETTING USEFUL PRODUCTS PUT INTO PRACTICE n WE SAW THAT DOING GOOD IS NOT ENOUGH, RESEARCH PROGRAMS MUST BE PERCEIVED AS DOING GOOD.

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER5 PRINCIPLES BACKED UP WITH STORIES n INTERVIEWED 21 PEOPLETOP MANAGERS, RESEARCH MANGERS IN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR AND INTERNATIONAL LEADERS n FOCUS GROUP OF RESEARCH MANAGERS n STATE DOT PEER EXCHANGE MEETINGS n LITERATURE

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER6 WHY DO PROGRAMS DIFFER SO DRAMATICALLY? n WE NOTED THAT SOME RESEARCH PROGRAMS ARE SUSTAINED AT A HIGH LEVEL OVER TIME – OTHERS STRUGGLE, RELYING ON FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS TO DO RESEARCH

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER7 WE NOTED THAT … n THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EFFECTIVE AND ROBUST n GIVEN: RESEARCH PROGRAMS MUST BE EFFECTIVE –MUST PRODUCE HIGH QUALITY RESULTS –WELL TARGETED PRODUCTS APPLIED TO REAL PROBLEMS

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER8 AND WE NOTED…. n 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

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER9 IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS n 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

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER10 IS IT THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE… n 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

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER11 IS IT THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE… n TOP MANAGEMENT THAT IS NOT PREDISPOSED TOWARD RESEARCH – IS A TOUGH SELL n MOST MOST CHIEF EXECUTIVES BEGIN THEIR TERMS INDIFFERENT TO RESEARCH

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER12 FINDING n A ROBUST PROGRAM HAS SUPPORTERS THROUGHOUT THE TOP MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE –THESE FOLKS WILL INFORM A NEW EXECUTIVE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER13 SUSTAINING SUPPORT n 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.

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER14 ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMS TRUST n 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

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER15 ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMS MARKET IT BOLDLY n 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

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER16 ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMS ROOT IN ECONOMICS n 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

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER17 ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMS MAKE DEALS UNABASHEDLY n DIRECTORS OF ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMS TEND TO BE BOLD IN THEIR CULTIVATION OF ALLIANCES OF ALL TYPES n MANY ROBUST PROGRAMS WERE COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN DOTS AND UNIVERSITIES AND OTHERS

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER18 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

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER19 ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMS INSIST ON ACCOUNTABILITY n 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

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER20 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

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER21 ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMS EMBRACE POLICY RESEARCH n 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

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER22 ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMS EMPOWER THE STAFF n 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

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER23 ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMS SUMMARY n NOT ALL PROGRAMS USE ALL SEVEN KEYS, BUT WE FIND THAT USING MORE IS BETTER n APPEAR TO BE UNIVERSAL – APPLYING TO –PUBLIC AND PRIVATE AND INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS –LARGE AND SMALL UNITS –STATE AND NATIONAL IN SCOPE

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER24 ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMS SUMMARY n 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

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER25 ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMS RECOMMENDATIONS n 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

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER26 ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMS RECOMMENDATIONS n 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

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER27 ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMS RECOMMENDATIONS n TRAINING MATERIALS TO ENHANCE SKILLS (MARKETING, ET AL) n TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SENIOR DOT MANAGERS TO BETTER ACQUAINT THEM WITH ELEMEMTS OF ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMS

JUNE 2000 T. B. DEEN and B. T. HARDER28 ROBUST RESEARCH PROGRAMS RECOMMENDATIONS n INVESTIGATING BARRIERS ASSOCIATED WITH BUILDING ALLIANCES AND PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN DOT RESEARCH UNITS AND OTHER GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTOR RESEARCH ENTITIES n METHODS TO DECREASE CYCLE TIME OF RESEARCH PROJECTS TO MATCH USER NEEDS