Big data and the future of R&D management

Blackburn, M., Alexander, J., Legan, J. D., & Klabjan, D. (2017). Big data and the future of R&D management. Research Technology Management Journal, 60(5), 43-51. DOI: 10.1080/08956308.2017.1348135

This study explores the concept of big data and whether, and to what extent, it might affect R&D management in the future. Through extensive discussions to dissect the nature of big data and to achieve a common understanding of what it represents, a research framework was constructed to analyze the impact of big data based on its potential to inform, enable, and transform or disrupt R&D management across four dimensions: strategy, people, technology, and process integration. A literature review, interviews with experts, and case studies of organizations using big data demonstrate that this phenomenon will have significant implications for R&D and innovation management, although the nature and extent of that impact is somewhat uneven among different industry sectors.