Sustainable Collaboration: A Study of the Dynamics of Consortia

摘要

This report highlights enabling factors that promote research and development consortium longevity and effectiveness. Our work draws on an extensive case study of one consortium, the Abnormal Situation Management Consortium, and anchors these findings with a comparison of practices with three additional consortia - the McMaster Advanced Control Consortium, the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation, and SEMATECH. All four consortia were created to develop methods, hardware and/or software. Consortia represent a unique organizational form that is ideally suited for flexibility in approach and fluidity in membership compared with other forms of collaborative arrangements. Findings suggest that the ability to recognize and respond to changing needs over time is what characterizes a successful R&D consortium. The structure and membership of the consortium must match the needs of each stage of the R&D process, from discovery through reduction to practice and into commercialization and deployment. A charismatic leader is an important contributor to consortium success, but the charisma must go beyond personality and into relationship building and networking. Individuals who take initiatives to span boundaries help broker relationships that support collaborative development. Interestingly the personal commitment of individual members can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, individual member personal commitment helps build a shared sense of vision and encourages an action-oriented focus. As the R&D consortium's mission evolves from a research and development focus to a more commercialization focus, early member goals and personal commitment may not match the more pragmatic needs of the commercialization and deployment. Our work points to the critical importance of individual member capabilities, interests, and expertise - and the matching of these member characteristics with the phase of the consortium's R&D activities. A stable membership does not necessarily promote sustainability over time, and R&D consortia are encouraged to periodically evaluate their strategic intent and to consider organizational renewal through both new members and new company representatives. The report begins with an introduction to the study's objectives, and is followed by the in-depth case study, a review of consortia as an organizational form and comparative analysis of the four consortia. We conclude with a set of lessons learned that highlight structural, personal, financial and decision-making issues that appear to promote sustainability.