Research Technology Transfer: A Way that Works
Authors: Capen E.C. 
Published: December 2007

E.C. Capen, SPE

Successful technology transfer requires more than just moving better ideas from research into operations. It starts with the allocation of capital and manpower resources among those projects which will maximize the value of the total effort. It means measuring the contribution of the research staff as well as broadening the skills of the technologists. And of course people must have an incentive not to fear failure, for no idea is guaranteed. This paper shows how one research facility handled these problems.

Each researcher earned scores in subjects like oral and written communication, organization, creativity, etc. and competed against standards for each skill already existing in the lab. Management required no Supermen. The creativity ideal, for example, was a real live person just down the hall. These scores led directly to a salary target which existed on a market curve, i.e. what the market place pays for similar skills. In defiance of Human Resources counsel about the desirability of "5% merit raises," the R&D manager recognized the obvious and strove to give whatever raise would get people up to "market."

Management subjected each project to expected value analysis - chance of success times value if successful. More important, project teams reported in person to the Production Research Executive Planning Committee at least once a year to explain those chances and values. That Committee, chaired by the corporate Executive VP in charge of worldwide oil and gas activities, gave outstanding visibility opportunities for technologists, both in operations and research. Imagine the motivation.

Introduction

Because the successful transfer of new technology does not sprout from an organizational chart, I need to lay a little foundation. Each year, depending on the economic winds, new researchers would join R&D to sustain staff growth, to replace those who had left the company and others who had moved to operations. No "human resource" professionals guided this never ending recruitment task. Scientists and engineers had full responsibility for replenishing the research talent. I remember that of my job offers upon graduation, only this facility sent the people I would actually work with to college interviews. That turned out to be the deciding factor in my choice of jobs.

From the beginning, the atmosphere supported intellectual freedom with economic responsibility. Early on the R&D manager let the newcomers know:His door was always open, literally. No "administrative assistant" guarded access. If you walked down the hall by his office and he saw you, he might call you by name and invite you in for a few minutes to see how you were doing. He demonstrated that management was not going to create artificial barriers to hinder research. By example, he caused this kind of open door policy throughout the organization.He and the management team would put as much responsibility on researchers as they could stand, may be more.He placed a premium on honesty and scientific integrity.Since all research is fun, technologists should concentrate on that research which also has significant potential for profit.

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