Exploratory results on the importance of R&D knowledge domains in businesses with different strategies

A number of studies have described the consequences of the changing pattern s in the business environment for R&D departments. Fewer studies have addre ssed the specific implications of the changing business environment for the agenda of R&D managers. Gupta and Wilemon (1996) have provided R&D manager s with a priority hst for action designed to be applicable to R&D departmen ts independent of business strategy, However, a substantial body of literat ure suggests that the priority listing may be different for R&D departments in businesses with different strategies. Against this background this stud y sets out to determine whether the priority listing is different for Miles and Snow's (1978) strategic archetypes of prospectors, analyzers, defender s and reactors. A total of 72 R&D managers of businesses competing in indus trial markets in the Netherlands provided the data to test for the existenc e of these differences. The results indicate that the priority listings are indeed different for R&D departments in businesses with different strategi es, This finding has important practical implications, The priority listing s can be used by R&D managers to assess which R&D capabilities have to be d eveloped in order to match R&D strategy with business strategy and meet the criteria for getting more commercial payback from R&D in a changing busine ss environment.