La Recherche

What if the researchers of today were the business leaders of tomorrow?

The new generation of managers from research

 

Amandine Bugnicourt PhD (ADOC Talent Management) ; Catherine Chambon PharmD (Talents, Innovations & Cie), Marie-Françoise Morizur PhD (VIACREATIS)
from the collective work of the thinking group : TRAIT D’UNION*  whose members are: Jean-Christophe BENAS, Mouna BEYK, Valérie BRUNEL, Amandine BUGNICOURT , Catherine CHAMBON, Isabelle CHEVRIER , Thierry MERLE, Hubert NEGRE, Marie-Françoise MORIZUR, Pierre de ROMANET,  Patrice ROUER,  Robert STAHL. With the initiative and the support of  KIOR Recherche et Innovation.

*  TRAIT D’UNION is a group of reflection and of exchange of practices whose members are researchers and coaches of teams and managers in research.

 

Our professional activity as researchers and contact with other researchers have led us to believe that this population develops unique skills in managing change, uncertainty, collective thinking, globalization and open (and collaborative) innovation. We believe that these skills are interesting and valuable in managing a knowledge-based economy.

To test this idea and deepen our thinking, we interviewed many former researchers who are now managers, and we were very struck by the convergence of their testimony.

They agreed that the skills they developed by beginning their careers in research have significantly shaped their professional identity and continue to contribute to their being an asset in their current position.

 

Among the assets they mention:

- The ability to deal with change in an unpredictable environment and live with complexity,

- The ability to focus on the operational and short-term and also the long-term and strategic,

- The ability to detect emerging trends,

- The ability to deal effectively and without inhibition with people in other countries and with different culture background,

- The ability to think "outside the box" and to drive an iterative process of innovation,

- The ability to lead, or work in, teams and the ability to promote the collective intelligence.

 

It appears that these vital assets are underutilized in our changing society.

The skills of researchers are of course not the only ones necessary for a management team, but the lack of such skills poses a threat all the more important now that we are moving towards an economy where innovation is the key component in creating wealth.

We are therefore convinced that the population of researchers represents a real wealth of talent and that the integration of a growing proportion of professionals trained by research in management  teams will rise management to the level necessary to meet the challenges of the future.

 

 
Former researchers interviewed:

-Patrizia d’Alessio,  Med, PhD, fondatrice d’AISA Therapeutics,

-Yves Boscher , PhD, Directeur des Ressources Humaines de l'Institut Français du Pétrole,

-Michel Bouillon, PhD,  Directeur des Ressources Humaines du BRGM,

-Claire Corot, PhD, Directrice de la Recherche du Groupe GUERBET,

-Nicolas Demassieux, PhD, Président de MOTOROLA France,

-Anthony Kérihuel, PhD, Co-créateur et PDG de S3D - Solution Déchets & Développement Durable,

-Véronique Le Berre, PhD, Directeur des Ressources Humaines du  Centre de Recherche MOTOROLA, Rennes

-Jacqueline Lecourtier, PhD, Directrice de l'Agence Nationale de la Recherche,

-Jean-Antoine Lepesant, PhD, ancien directeur de l’institut Jacques Monod,

-Guillaume Petit , responsable "Learning for development" de l'OREAL R & D,

-Vincent Mignotte, PhD, Responsable service Ressources Humaines "Cadres supérieures et dirigeants" du CNRS.