The Researcher and the Manager: A Comparative View of the Need for Mutual Understanding

This paper concerns itself with the problem of managerial implementation of scientific research. It employs a survey technique designed to test the manager's and researcher's reactions to propositions developed by Churchman and Schainblatt [Churchman, C. W., A. H. Schainblatt. 1965. The researcher and the manager: A dialectic of implementation. Management Sci. (February) B16-B87.], Bennis [Bennis, W. G. 1965. Commentary. Management Sci. (October) B13-B16.], and Dyckman [Dyckman, Thomas R. 1967. Management implementation of scientific research: An attitudinal study. Management Sci. (June) B612-B619.]. The sample surveyed reflects opinions derived from groups unlike those studied to date. As with previous studies, the results suggest the respondents viewed the implementation issue as a multi-dimensional problem and refused to accept a single position as being the most effective means of obtaining meaningful researcher-manager cooperation. The primary conclusion accentuates both groups' rejection of the separate functions position and advocacy of mutual understanding and provides a general reinforcement of prior investigations. It is suggested that managers and researchers might do well not only to understand their own self-motivation but also to understand the unique problems of implementation faced by both groups. This appreciation would no doubt assist in developing the trust and valid communication necessary for the effective transfer of theory to practice.