handbook-executive-leadership-of-research-development-pdf-v10

through effective and efficient administrative systems and the high quality staff tomanage them.It is generally preferable to recruit professional managers with expertise andinterest in the research enterprise. Without overstating the point, understandingthe nature and purpose of research, and appreciating the diverse ways academicsgo about doing research, not to mention their work motives and values, is anadvantage. Research managers with these perspectives and outlooks are betterequipped to respond to local, national and international policy changes, fundingand collaborative opportunities, and general trends in research and innovation.They will have a clearer sense of priorities in supporting improvements inresearch performance.Create highly responsive research management processes and systemsThe influence of the executive leader on research performance extends to everycontact point between the university research and development office, and thefaculties, centres and researchers. In the initial phase of implementing the changeagenda the executive leader should aim to take the research management processesand systems rapidly to a new level, with roles and functions explicitly derived fromand supporting the vision and coordinating goals.“For new universities it’s important that thecommercialisation office and consultingpolicies actually support researchproductivity rather than distract from itand this gets back to deciding what’s themain game for the university. Consultingcan distract from the core purposes of theuniversity. This can be managed throughperformance planning and the reviewprocess as well as a good consulting policy.”The exercise in reframing or renewingresearch management will requiresome radical action to stimulate andsupport the culture change. Thisoften includes reducing the numberof people intervening in the researchprocess and ensuring the effectivenessand efficiency of research policies andprocedures and the electronic systemsthat support their implementation.It takes considerable time and resources to change the attitudes and behaviours ofunderperforming management staff and systems. Successful executive leaders ofresearch take a direct interest in reshaping the ethos from a negative service cultureand aim to remove systemic obstacles and impediments to research performance.It is not unusual in cases where the research profile of a university has declined62 A handbook for executive leadership of research development