When challenged, all these departments will concede that there is always room for improvement in this interaction. All parties need to confront and appreciate the challenges and problems of each area.
In the first of a series on this subject I will begin by addressing the needs of R&D.
R&D rightly or wrongly thinks of itself as the unsung hero of the NPD process. When questioned in depth it becomes clear that there is an undercurrent of pressure and stress which results in a love-hate relationship with other departments, particularly marketing. It responds with tongue in cheek comments like ‘you can please some people some of the time but not all people all of the time... but marketing never’.
Marketing never wants anything we can make but always anything we can’t make. If a product succeeds it’s a victory for the sales and marketing department and if it dives it’s always the fault of R&D! [Marketing: if you think these comments are harsh and one-sided, don’t worry, you’ll get your say in my next column.]
The NPD process starts with a brief. Let’s examine how this crucial step evolves. Different companies have different protocols on how they are structured and departments where the power base is focused have the ultimate say.
In some companies R&D is given a verbal or a written brief by NPD or the marketing department. In other companies this arrives after a period of consultation with R&D. In others it evolves after joint discussions between R&D, NPD and marketing. This process and style of discussion holds the key to harmonious relations between all the departments engaged in NPD and successful development of a new product.
There is a heartfelt desire among all engaged in R&D for all the departments involved, particularly NPD and marketing, to appreciate and understand the limitations of what R&D can do and what it can’t.
Based on my R&D experience of 35 years and after talking to numerous scientists at all levels engaged in the product development process, here is a list of areas which R&D feels cause friction:
1. Timetable
R&D is the best judge of indicating how long the development process will take. It can only base it on professional experience but cannot guarantee it since new product development is exactly what is says – new – and unexpected results can often and do happen.
2. Safety, efficacy and stability
At best R&D can make an educated evaluation of the expected results. Clearly R&D cannot guarantee the results. Unexpected results are nobody’s fault and putting pressure on R&D doesn’t change that.
3. Risk
We at R&D are not averse to risk taking when agreeing to a tryout, a new idea or a very tight timetable but expect all parties involved in NPD to share equally the risk and responsibility if they can’t pull it off. Fear of blame if things go wrong can be very counterproductive and can result in a climate where R&D becomes over-cautious in agreeing to pursue new ideas or tight timing estimates.
4. Factors which R&D cannot control
Even the best and most creative R&D in the world has limitations such as competitors’ patents, tied raw materials, technology restraints, resources and expertise shortfall, required proof of efficacy, safety and regulatory issues. So when R&D says no to a project or quotes a very long lead time all the departments and top management need to show understanding and support for this judgement. At times like this the correct response R&D expects is: ‘Ok, we understand you can’t do this right now. Tell us what you can do and what you can’t do in the longer term to correct any perceived weakness we have against a competitor’s products’. The finest strategy is to play to the strengths of your R&D and weaknesses of your competition.
5. R vs D
The name R&D is a bit of a misnomer as in reality in most companies it should be r&D since the majority of NPD work is development. Investment in research, especially blue sky research, rarely gets significant resources apart from the multinationals, to have a serious impact on the NPD process in the short run.
6. Raw material suppliers
Most companies are heavily reliant on leading raw material suppliers to bring new innovation and technology to the market. Most of the significant developments in recent times have resulted from this. The problem facing R&D is the race that takes place once a new raw material hits the market to get the finished product to the market. The multinationals score here as they often gain pre-marketing access to the new materials and take out patents which restrict NPD by smaller companies. For smaller companies to win this race means very tight deadlines, risk taking and the need for inter-departmental team-play.
R&D is not perfect and needs to work to interact better with the other departments involved in NPD by also recognising, supporting and understanding their challenges. The image of inflexible scientists living in ivory towers or shrinking violets needs to change and R&D has to make that change. My advice is to cultivate a more dynamic, extrovert image and have a greater confidence in projecting it so your creativity and flair is recognised and becomes a marketing plus for your company.
If you don’t agree with me then let me finish by challenging you with a question: How come the food industry is renowned for its famous chefs and the fragrance industry is famous for its noses, whereas hardly any cosmetic industry formulator has any global or local recognition?
Ok, I know I’m being controversial to press home a point and I don’t expect everyone to agree with my comments; there are always many shades of opinion. But these are my views and the views of several of my friends within R&D, many of whom I have known and had the privilege to work with over the years. If you have a view – contrary or complimentary – or elements of this column upset you then you could perhaps suppress the desire to shoot the messenger and address your opinion in writing to Clare Henderson at SPC (clareh@hpcimedia.com), or if you really feel the need you can contact me directly, and we promise to give you a forum for your views and a considered response. You decide whether or not you’d like your name printed with your comments.
