Em­brace the re­search­er's mind­set in your or­gan­isa­tion

Once a month, researchers at Copenhagen Business School provide Børsen readers with a current and research-based perspective on the challenges facing leaders.

This time, Professor Signe Vikkelsø, Professor Alan Irwin and Postdoc Sunny Mosangzi Xu write about how businesses, when aiming to strengthen innovation and knowledge sharing within organisations, can draw inspiration from the way researchers work.

For decades we have been discussing the meaning of the knowledge society and recognising the importance of knowledge and innovation for society and business. Many of today's great business successes are based on research and development of groundbreaking solutions. Tesla overtook its competitors through visionary fundraising and a significant research effort. Novo Nordisk embarked on a new business adventure based on decades of research into drugs to treat obesity.

Three key characteristics

Unfortunately, our language often suffers from clichés that get in the way of a good understanding of how to manage researchers and research processes. Researchers are often labelled 'nerds', 'prima donnas' or 'lone geniuses'. But while researchers can be demanding to work with, they possess a number of qualities that are valuable and attractive in an increasingly complex and uncertain world for businesses and organisations to navigate. We will highlight here three traits that researchers typically value in one another, and that can also be beneficial in most organisations: persistence, collaboration and dealing with uncertainty.

A successful research outcome requires persistent work on specific questions. Researchers are driven by the challenge of unsolved puzzles, rather than general goals such as being best in class or achieving a certain growth rate. Once their curiosity is ignited, they can be hard to stop until the answer is found. There is also great value for business when leaders understand that it is concrete challenges that awaken employees' 'research gene' and drive them to pursue solutions, rather than financial goals per se.

Teamwork is crucial: great researchers know they don't know everything and seek out colleagues who can provide missing pieces of the puzzle. Long-term teamwork forms the backbone of scientific breakthroughs, and researchers will often go far to contribute to the collective across personal backgrounds and cultures. At the same time, it is an inherent premise in research that one not only produces research progress here and now but also educates talents who can contribute and carry forward the skills. Good research leaders understand how to combine team performances with an eye for talent development, so skills are maintained.

Dealing with uncertainty through debate: Researchers excel at accepting uncertainty as a premise. They skillfully tackle complex or ambiguous problems and demonstrate resilience in the face of failures, frustrations, and endless criticism from colleagues and others. Even a Nobel laureate’s scientific work can be rejected by top journals, yet most Nobel Prize winners view this as a strength of the research system. In robust research environments, a culture of debate prevails—one that aims for substance rather than personal attacks. These environments value feedback that highlights unexplored or unclear aspects, as therein lie new insights. Business leaders who encourage internal debate become less vulnerable to misinterpretations of their markets and opportunities.

Perseverance, teamwork and dealing with uncertainty have also been important attributes in the development of the weight management drug Wegovy, which has helped make Novo Nordisk Europe's most valuable company. Lotte Bjerre Knudsen, Chief Scientific Advisor at Novo Nordisk, has been central to the development of Wegovy and for decades pursued the role of hormones in appetite regulation, even though the company's main focus was on insulin. Even now, when revenues from Wegovy and Ozempic are huge, she prioritises raising funds for new research projects over personal profit. This prioritisation may surprise many managers in the corporate world, where performance pay and individual bonus programmes are standard. But scientists are typically motivated not primarily by money, but by solving puzzles.

What leaders can learn from scientists

The business world is discovering the value of the attributes of research and researchers. Management researcher Andrew McAfee argues that the key to successful companies like Tesla lies in a "geek culture" where science is a core value, combined with principles of ownership, openness and pace. Leaders can gain a lot by adopting the working methods of scientists. Decisions should not be accepted just because they come from the highest paid person at the top of the hierarchy, but because they are based on solid knowledge and judgement. At the same time, focus should be directed towards “stubborn problems” seeking unconventional solutions. These qualities should be present not only in top management, but throughout the organisation.

In the challenging competition between technological possibilities, societal needs and new business areas, organisations can benefit from how researchers seek knowledge and pursue ideas. Likewise, they can learn from how researchers pressure-test decisions and find unconventional solutions through teamwork, debate culture and persistence. In many organisations, it is common to keep information close to protect business secrets. However, this can limit the exchange of knowledge which is essential for developing new ideas and solutions.

For leaders, inviting the spirit of research into the organisation can feel like a loss of control. However, the idea is not to give up leadership and management, but to foster a corporate culture that emphasises knowledge, insight, debate and experimentation. Here we can all learn from the ability of researchers to find unconventional solutions to intractable problems. It is likely that the same leadership qualities that make for good research will also bring the knowledge and curiosity of employees into better play.