Knowledge Management Framework for High-Tech Research and Development

With growing product and process complexity and rising pressure to create and sustain competitive advantage through rapid, continuous innovation, modern high-tech firms increasingly depend on the efficient management of their research and development (R&D) activities and the knowledge developed through these activities. This article presents a broad framework to manage R&D knowledge. It identifies major sources of R&D knowledge and problems in managing knowledge in high-tech R&D. It presents a knowledge management (KM) cycle to channel the knowledge accumulated from these sources and to lessen the associated problems. It defines the role of KM in the new product development (NPD) process as well as the implications for managers employing KM in R&D.