Going global: the use of ICT networks in research and development

Although the process of the internationalisation of Research and Development (R&D) has been partial and fragmentary, many multinational companies are now faced with coordinating and managing a range of R&D laboratories and technical and design centres spread across the world. The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has been seen by R&D managers as one means of helping to deal with the problems and issues that have arisen with this expansion of international research networks. However, although communication within the R&D function has been seen as crucial in research and innovation performance, most of the stress in the use of ICT in research until recently has been in improving productivity. The paper explores some of the new ways that companies are using computer-mediated communication systems as a way to improve communication and information flows between dispersed sites and in the new types of work organisation that are emerging. The paper concludes by looking at some of the benefits and problems associated with implementing these new structures and forms of working in R&D.