Management of the industry/research organization interface
The purpose of a consultancy undertaken to assess management processes in research projects to improve communication between research organizations and the mining industry through the development of an improved mode of operation and customer interface is discussed. The consultancy was conducted using the Nadler and Tushman Congruency Model of Organizational Behavior to assess components of a project's inputs, transformation process and outputs for their degree of congruence or fit. As an example the University of Queensland (UQ) managed ACARP project Maximizing Coal Production in the Presence of Hydrogen Sulfide (H{sub 2}S) Seam Gas was used for illustration. An action research process was used to collect data on the project organization and history, observations made of group project meetings and interviews undertaken with project staff and representatives of the mining industry and the UQ. The findings highlighted major differences in culture between the university and industry, inadequate planning and strategy development, ineffective inter-group communication, high and conflicting demands on time, and in some cases a poor fit between individuals and tasks. Recommendations proposed to address these issues are presented as two groups, those applicable to the current H{sub 2}S Project and those for future similar research projects. They involve improved strategies for inter-group and interpersonal communication, role clarification, project administration and organizational learning and assessment. The proposed interventions are relatively simple, easily implemented and inexpensive. They have the potential to improve the fit between the components of the organization as well as between the organization and its environment, enhance efficiency and effectiveness and improve the relationship between the university and industry to ensure future collaborative research projects and access to external funding.
- Research Organization:
- Dept. of Mines and Energy, Queensland (AU)
- OSTI ID:
- 20021020
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 8th US Mine Ventilation Symposium, Rolla, MO (US), 06/11/1999--06/17/1999; Other Information: PBD: 1999; Related Information: In: Proceedings of the 8th US mine ventilation symposium, by Tien, J.C. [ed.], 740 pages.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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