TOWARDS A SYSTEM OF PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR RESEARCH ACTIVITIES: NIKEM RESEARCH CASE STUDY

Federico Frattini (), Valentina Lazzarotti () and Raffaella Manzini ()
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Federico Frattini: Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Gestionale, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
Valentina Lazzarotti: LIUC, Università C. Cattaneo, Istituto di Tecnologie, Corso Matteotti, 22, 20153 Castellanza, Varese, Italy
Raffaella Manzini: LIUC, Università C. Cattaneo, Istituto di Tecnologie, Corso Matteotti, 22, 20153 Castellanza, Varese, Italy

International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), 2006, vol. 10, issue 04, 425-454

Abstract: Although theoretical approaches to research and development (R&D) performance measurement are widespread, empirical investigations into the application of these theories are far less diffused. Therefore, we started a research project aimed at studying the R&D performance measurement practices adopted by Italian technology-intensive firms. This paper discusses the earliest empirical results of the project; it deeply investigates the experience of an Italian contract research organisation in designing a system of performance measures for its research activities.The studied case is interesting for the following reasons: (i) it witnesses the increased interest by technology-intensive companies towards R&D performance measurement; (ii) it enlightens the lack of consolidated practices capable of guiding the design of an appropriate performance measurement system; (iii) it elaborates a practical framework that can help fill this gap. In fact, a systematic approach for linking different contextual variables (i.e. the company's strategy, the type of R&D activity undertaken, the purpose of the measurement and the R&D unit's organisational structure) to the critical design choices (i.e. the choice of the performance indicators and the structure of the system) is suggested.

Keywords: Performance measurement; research activities; Italian experience; contract research organizations (CROs) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006
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DOI: 10.1142/S1363919606001557

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