A systems approach to managing R&D in the road infrastructure sector in South Africa
Date
2010-03-08T13:05:00Z
Authors
Rust, Frederik Christoffel
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Abstract
The importance of science and technology in South Africa in the next decade has
been emphasised in the National R&D strategy, and a target expenditure of one
per cent of GDP on R&D has been set. Research programmes in transport in the
1990s did not yield the expected outcomes and impact due to severe
fragmentation of the programmes and subsequent diminished funding and
output. Road authorities and the private sector expressed a need for the
improvement of the associated management processes. International work in
technology management has focused mainly on linear models of managing the
development of hard products for the consumer market. These models are not
suitable for the road building industry where the majority of the R&D programmes
are aimed at the development of new knowledge, engineering methodology and
associated engineering solutions. In addition, the R&D process is complex with
many elements and interactions, and thus a simple linear management model is
unlikely to yield the desired results. This thesis is aimed at the development of a
systems-based R&D management model and tools for road engineering and
shows that their implementation has a significant impact on R&D outputs.
This study evaluated international best practice as well as the success and
failure factors of six local R&D programmes. A developmental research approach
was used to identify the problem, develop a solution and test the solution in a
number of R&D programmes. The model is based on a systems approach,
taking aspects of cybernetics and complexity theory into consideration and is
radically different from the linear approaches usually followed in the management
of the development of consumer products. A set of analysis tools supporting the
strategic model was developed. These include a strategic needs determination
process, the technology tree tool and a research effectiveness measurement
system. The new conceptual model and the associated analysis tools were
implemented in four significant research programmes in the public sector, private
sector and research organisations. The emphasis was on managing the synergy
between the programmes in a holistic approach, thus enhancing the outcome
and impact of the programmes. It is shown that the implementation of the
models and tools had a significant effect on the R&D output from these research
programmes. Finally, two protocols for the use of the model and tools were
developed and their use in the Labour-Intensive Construction field demonstrated.