RETHINKING THE ROLE OF RESEARCH

In today's competitive environment, large, mature, technology-based en terprises must restore the high levels of innovativeness that made the m great in the first place. Repositioning the research function as par t of the firm's ''engine of innovation'' should be an important priori ty. Central to that task in many industries is the capacity to identif y, develop and exploit wholly new technologies that will give rise to new classes of customers, channels and uses. At the confluence of emer gent markets and technologies, innovative success will require that re search acquire a new set of organizational capabilities. Given the inh erent unpredictability of the details and tinting of future markets, r adical incrementalism-the testing of radically new concepts in a serie s of practical market engagements based on a larger research vision an d technology strategy-provides a key capability to explore the uncerta in dynamics of demand.