Reforming NASA's R&D Using Openness

The problem of designing technology R&D programs has been studied for decades. The rational methods for selecting R&D projects are not widely used and have not been found to be effective. Technology development has been overly influenced by human self-interest and politics and is often rendered ineffective. Organizations are rational, natural, and open systems. An ideal rational R&D organization is described. The effects of natural human political action in organizations are discussed. NASA’s technology development should be reformed by implementing the ideal rational organization and by opening its operations to full view. The benefits of openness in stimulating creativity and preventing problems are well known. Openness is now a government policy and is greatly facilitated by modern computer and communications technology.

[1]  Glenn E. Bugos,et al.  Atmosphere of Freedom: Sixty Years at the NASA Ames Research Center , 2000 .

[2]  Wm. E. Souder,et al.  Project selection and economic appraisal , 1984 .

[3]  R. Cooper,et al.  Portfolio management for new product development: results of an industry practices study , 2001 .

[4]  Stewart P. Blake,et al.  Managing for responsive research and development , 1978 .

[5]  Philip M. Smith,et al.  The R&D Portfolio: A Concept for Allocating Science and Technology Funds , 1996, Science.

[6]  John R. Hauser,et al.  Metrics to evaluate R,D&E , 1997 .

[7]  A. D. Henriksen,et al.  A practical R&D project-selection scoring tool , 1999 .

[8]  Carlos Cabral-Cardoso,et al.  Instrumental and supportive use of formal selection methods in R&D project selection , 1996 .

[9]  John H. Friar,et al.  Factors for success in R&D projects and new product innovation: a contextual framework , 1997 .

[10]  E. Rechtin,et al.  The art of systems architecting , 1996, IEEE Spectrum.

[11]  B. Silverman,et al.  R&D, ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CORPORATE TECHNOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE , 2004 .

[12]  James R. Freeland,et al.  Recent progress in modeling R&D project-selection processes , 1992 .

[13]  John W. Dumbleton,et al.  Management of High Technology Research & Development , 1988 .

[14]  Thomas Åstebro,et al.  Key success factors for technological entrepreneurs' R&D projects , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management.

[15]  L. Sayles,et al.  Managing Large Systems: Organizations for the Future , 1971 .

[16]  R. Cooper,et al.  New Product Portfolio Management : Practices and Performance , 1999 .

[17]  William J. Baumol,et al.  Microeconomics: Principles and Policy , 1991 .

[18]  B. Twiss.  Managing Technological Innovation , 1974 .

[19]  Michael E. Raynor,et al.  The Innovator's Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth , 2003 .

[20]  Robert Dixon,et al.  The Management Task , 2003 .

[21]  L. Bolman,et al.  Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership. Jossey-Bass Management Series, Social and Behavioral Science Series, and Higher and Adult Education Series. , 1991 .

[22]  Harry Jones.  Project Selection for NASA's R&D Programs , 2005 .

[23]  M. Nadiri,et al.  Interindustry R&D Spillovers, Rates of Return, and Production in High-Tech Industries , 1988 .

[24]  J. Martino.  Research and Development project selection , 1995 .

[25]  Dean Eppler,et al.  A Framework for Making Strategic Technology Decisions , 1995 .