BOOKS
Bridging the Management/Technology Gap Reviewed by Graham R. Mitchell
There is widespread agreement that the U.S. has been the dominant global player in technology since World War II and that its success in technological endeavors is perhaps the key to its continued economic power and position. However, there are also widespread concerns. We fear that we are not so effective as we once were, and this leads us to search for better ways to select and manage research projects, to nurture and transfer technology, and to evaluate and manage the technical function. We also worry about upper management and its commitment, support, and ability to withstand shortterm pressures, and even its competence in managing technology. Lowell W. Steele, author of "Managing Technology: The Strategic View," recognizes more than most of us that successful technology management involves simultaneously managing both the technical work force and general management and business community. Much of the difficulty we experience in managing technology arises because many of the key players, including scientists, engineers, and functional and general managers, as well as chief executive officers, start with very different perceptions of what is most important and what, in an ideal situation, should occur. One of the first challenges in modern corporations is to provide conceptual frameworks and tools (that is, ways of looking at things) that overcome functional and disciplinary bias—frameworks that allow all the major participants to come to a consensus on priorities and actions. Inevitably, this means balancing the tension between the need for rigor and continuity and the need for change. This is particularly important in the strategic management of technology, where the general aspirations for the business must be trans62
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Successful management of technology involves balancing the differing viewpoints of scientists and general managers "Managing Technology: The Strategic View" by Lowell W. Steele, McGraw-Hill Book Co., 11 West 19th St., New York, N.Y. 10011, 1989, 356 pages, $39.50
lated into technical strategies that lead ultimately to decisions within a framework with which management is comfortable, that is, decisions about the allocation of money. As programs move through different stages from a laboratory setting toward commercialization, different questions must be asked, different selection criteria applied, and different rules used for guiding resource allocation. "Managing Technology" provides practical planning tools for these transitions, and perhaps more important, insight into the very different perspectives of managers and business and technical contributors who must participate in various stages of the process.
Another major dimension of the problem concerns the relationship between the technical community and senior general management. CEOs live in a very unforgiving world, in which resistance to change is quite rational. Because they often cannot judge technical proposals in depth, they must resort to judging the proposer. CEOs clearly want to succeed, and—contrary to the conventional wisdom at the research bench—they are almost universally convinced of the vital role of technology in the success, and even survival, of the business. The challenge to technical people is to help CEOs to see the way in which technology can help them achieve their own goals and make them comfortable with the stewardship of technical management. Consider the questions likely to be running through the chief executive's mind when hearing a presentation on technology: "Are these issues important or are they just trying to educate me? Do they understand my constraints? Why wasn't I told earlier, when there was time to do something? Did finance sign off on the numbers?" Most important, the CEO is often trying to decide on two major points: • Are this person's values and beliefs sufficiently like my own that I can trust him? • Does he know what he is talking about? What is often surprising to the technical community is that more weight is usually attached to the first point. One of the reasons why the management of technology is particularly difficult is that technology is a kind of leading indicator in the field of management, and problems are encountered there before they spread to other areas. For example, the need to maintain the delicate balance between too much control and lack of direction, which is particularly important in creating an
environment that nurtures innovation, or the ability to acquire realtime information, and to incorporate it into increasingly complex and flexible systems, are both areas where managers in technical fields often have to lead the charge. It is somewhat puzzling that, in the face of widespread concern, the subject of technology has, until recently, been almost invisible in business school curricula. It is equally invisible in management development programs. This is arguably because no academic framework or continuum bridges the gap between technology and management. The difficulty in managing technology lies not just in integrating functional perspectives within a given firm, notes Steele, who for the past six years has been a consultant on technology management after a 29-year career with General Electric, where he had been staff executive for corporate technology planning.
Options that are intuitively obvious in one company may be out of the question in another corporation. "The ties that guide and bind," that give us our sense of who we are as a business and determine the "culture" of the organization, may present unreasonable constraints during this era of rapid global change. Effective management of technology, therefore, requires addressing these conventions that affect the total business. Technology can be a powerful force for change, and failure to include conventions in the candidates for change is a failure in managerial vision. "Managing Technology" attempts to provide a way of thinking about the role of technology in a business and a frame of reference for competent general managers and their technical groups to work together more effectively. Few areas are more important to U.S. industry at the present time. However, in practice, progress in managing tech-
nology frequently is stalled and general management and technologists alike are frustrated as familiar approaches fail to deal with the present fast-changing environment and the incorporation of new technical knowledge. Often the only way forward is to throw out the conventional wisdom and reexamine conceptual frameworks and underlying relationships. For those faced with roadblocks in generating, nurturing, selling, and managing technology, "Managing Technology" provides the reassurance that you are not alone and contains savvy guidance on how to proceed. Graham R. Mitchell is director of planning for GTE Laboratories in Waltham, Mass., where his responsibilities have included the development of strategic planning for the central laboratories and technology planning for the corporation covering GTE's main businesses of telecommunications, lighting, and materials. •
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Books Acid Rain and Friendly Neighbors: The Policy Dispute between Canada and the United States. Revised Ed. Jurgen Schmandt, Judith Clarkson, Hilliard Roderick, editors, xv + 344 pages. Duke University Press, 6697 College Station, Durham, N.C. 27708. 1989. $45. Advances in Chromatography. Vol. 28. J. Calvin G i d d i n g s , Eli Grushka, Phyllis R. Brown, editors, xviii + 371 pages. Marcel Dekker, 270 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $99.75. Advances in Applied Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. M. W. Mackenzie, editor, xii + 353 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1988. $95. Analyses of Hazardous Substances in Biological Materials: Methods for Biological Monitoring. Vol. 2. J. Angerer, K. H. Schaller, editors, xviii + 252 pages. VCH Publishers, Distribution Center, 303 N.W. 12th Ave., Deerfield Beach, Fla. 33442-1705.1988. $75. The Analysis of Peptides and Proteins by Mass Spectrometry. C. J. McNeal,
"CHEMICAL AND MATERIALS SCIENCE ASPECTS OF IMAGING SCIENCE" Thursday, October 26, 1989 Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY Xerographic, Lithographic and Silver Halide Imaging See May 29,1989 C&E News (page 15) for further info. Early registration deadline: September 21, 1989
Please contact; Dr. Marvin L. Illingsworth Department of Chemistry Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY 14623 (716) 475-2486 or 475-2497
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editor, xi + 322 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1988. $89.95. Aquatic Humic Substances: Influence on Fate and Treatment of Pollutants. Advances in Chemistry Series 219. I. H. Suffet, Patrick MacCarthy, editors. xxx + 864 pages. American Chemical Society, 1155—16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036.1989. $109.95. Archaeological Chemistry IV. Advances in Chemistry Series 220. Ralph O. Allen, editor, xiii + 508 pages. American Chemical Society, 1155—16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. 1989. $89.95. Atomic and Molecular Beam Methods. Vol. 1. Giacinto Scoles, editor, xxiii + 721 pages. Oxford University Press, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016.1988. $95. Biohazards of Drinking Water Treatment. Richard A. Larson, editor, ix + 293 pages. Lewis Publishers, 121 South Main St., P.O. Drawer 519, Chelsea, Mich. 48118. 1988. $54.95. The Bioinorganic Chemistry of Nickel. Jack R. Lancaster Jr., editor, xviii + 337 pages. VCH Publishers, Distribution Center, 303 N.W. 12th Ave., Deerfield Beach, Fla. 33442-1705.1988. $85. Biophysical Chemistry of Dioxygen Reactions in Respiration and Photosynthesis. Tore Vanngard, editor. 131 pages. Cambridge University Press, 32 East 57th St., New York, N.Y. 10022. 1988. $32.50. Biotechnology for Engineers: Biological Systems in Technological Processes. A. H. Scragg, editor. 390 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016.1988. $59.95. Carbocycle Construction in Terpene Synthesis. Tse-Lok Ho. xiv + 768 pages. VCH Publishers, Distribution Center, 303 N.W. 12th Ave., Deerfield Beach, Fla. 33442-1705. 1988. $125. Carbon Dioxide Activation by Metal Complexes. Arno Behr. viii + 161 pages. VCH Publishers, Distribution Center, 303 N.W. 12th Ave., Deerfield Beach, Fla. 33442-1705.1988. $98. Catalysis at Surfaces. Ian M. Campbell, viii + 250 pages. Chapman & Hall, 29 West 35th St., New York, N.Y. 10001. 1989. $65 hardback, $25.50 paperback. Chaos and Integrability in Nonlinear Dynamics: An Introduction. Michael Tabor, xiii + 364 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $55.
Chemical Structures. The International Language of Chemistry. Wendy A. Warr, editor, xii + 472 pages. Springer-Verlag, New York, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10010. 1988. $95.80. Chemistry. 2nd Ed. Steven S. Zumdahl. xxv + 1256 pages. D.C. Heath & Co., 125 Spring St., Lexington, Mass. 02173. 1988. $38. Chitin Sourcebook: A Guide to the Research Literature. E. R. Pariser, Donald P. Lombardi. ix + 534 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016.1989. $150. Chromatographic Enantioseparation: Methods and Applications. Stig G. Allenmark. 224 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016.1989. $64.95. Circulating Fluidized Bed Technology II. Prabir Basu, Jean Francois Large, editors, xii + 578 pages. Pergamon Press, Maxwell House, Fairview Park, Elmsford, N.Y. 10523. 1988. $145. Conformational Analysis of MediumSized Heterocycles. Richard S. Glass, editor, xiv + 274 pages. VCH Publishers, Distribution Center, 303 N.W. 12th Ave., Deerfield Beach, Fla. 33442-1705. 1988. $59.50. Crossflow Filtration: Theory and Practice. Jakob Murkes, Claes-Goren Carlsson, x + 133 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016.1989. $67.95. Electrochemical Detection Techniques in the Applied Biosciences. Vol. 2: Fermentation and Bioprocess Control, Hygiene and Environmental Sciences. Guy-Alain Junter, editor. 196 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1988. $79.95. Elementary Equilibrium Chemistry of Carbon. Grant Urry. xv + 223 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016.1989. $39.95. Encyclopedia of Pharmaceutical Technology. Vol. 1. James Swarbrick, James C. Boylan, editors, viii + 494 pages. Marcel Dekker, 270 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1988. $180. Environmental Management Handbook: Toxic Chemical Materials and Wastes. Leopold C. Kokoszka, Jared W. Flood, xvi + 632 pages. Marcel Dekker, 270 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $125 U.S. & Canada, $150 overseas. Fatty Acids in Industry. Robert W. Johnson, Earle Fritz, editors, xvi + 667 pages. Marcel Dekker, 270 Madison
Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $150 U.S. & Canada, $180 overseas. Fuel Cell Handbook. A. J. Appleby, F. R. Foulkes. xxvi + 762 pages. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 115 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10003.1988. $89.95. Fundamentals of the Theory of Metals. A. A. Abrikosov. x + 630 pages. Elsevier Science Publishers, 52 Vanderbilt Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017. 1988. $118.50 hardback, $58 paperback. A Guide to Materials Characterization and Chemical Analysis. John P. Sibilia, editor, x + 318 pages. VCH Publishers, Distribution Center, 303 N.W. 12th Ave., Deerfield Beach, Fla. 33442-1705.1988. $34.50. High Performance Liquid Chromatography. Phyllis R. Brown, Richard A. Hartwick, editors, xii + 688 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016.1989. $75. Information Resources in Toxicology. 2nd Ed. Philip Wexler. xxiv + 510 pages. Elsevier Science Publishers, 52 Vanderbilt Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017.1988. $90.
Inorganic Crystal Structures. B. G. Hyde, Sten Andersson. xviii + 430 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $65. Ion Chromatography in Water Analysis. O. Shpigun, Yu. A. Zolotov. 188 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016.1988. $59.95. The Law of Occupational Health and Safety in Ontario. Michael Grossman, xxi + 230 pages. Butterworths, 2265 Midland Ave., Scarborough, Ontario, Canada M1P 4S1.1988. $59.95. Molecules in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Vol. 3. Jean Maruani, editor, xxii + 431 pages. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 101 Philip Dr., Assinippi Park, Norwell, Mass. 02061. 1988. $133, £72.
Paperbacks. Radiochemistry of Astatine. Thomas J. Ruth et al. ix + 80 pages. Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology, National Research Council, 2101 Con-
stitution Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20418. 1988. Free of charge. Reactions and Syntheses in the Organic Chemistry Laboratory. LutzFriedjan Tietze, Theophil Eicher. xvii + 593 pages. University Science Books, 20 Edgehill Rd., Mill Valley, Calif. 94941.1989. $52. Resource Recovery of Municipal Solid Wastes. Peter J. Knox, editor, vi + 198 pages. American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Publications Sales, 345 East 47th St., New York, N.Y. 10017.1988. $23 AIChE members, $45 nonmembers. Science Teaching: Making the System Work. Audrey B. Champagne, editor. 214 pages. American Association for the Advancement of Science, Product Distribution Center, P.O. Box 753, Waldorf, Md. 20604. 1988. $11.20 AAAS members, $13.95 nonmembers. World Directory of Pesticide Control Organisations, v + 311 pages. Royal Society of Chemistry, Distribution Centre, Blackhorse Rd., Letchworth, Herts SG6 1HN, England. 1989. $56, £27.50 D
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