What’s Missing In Innovation?

The Missing Link in Innovative Research

When the pipeline of technological breakthroughs has stalled, especially in industries like pharmaceuticals, midlevel managers may hold the key to R&D productivity.

A Booz-Allen sponsored reseach by Anna Pettersson and August Vlak

Despite continuous growth in R&D spending, many senior leaders remain deeply concerned about their organization?s ability to innovate. For example, the pharmaceutical industry has more than doubled its spending on research and development during the last 10 years, but its success rate in finding new drugs has been disappointing. Yet new research by Booz & Company points to an unexpected and unheralded source of potential productivity: midlevel managers in the R&D function. Companies can significantly raise their R&D productivity by recognizing and activating the unique impact of leaders in the middle of the organization?s hierarchy.