Abstract:

Knowledge creation and dissemination are outputs from the interaction among the participants of research groups and may be considered a key element to social and economic development. Research groups are organizations cromprising investigators whom in order to achieve common goals perform coordinated activities and establish relationships among themselves and with the external environment. In addition, these groups can be analyzed as a set of relationships between reearchers and their atributes related to each other and to their environment so as to form a unique whole. Thus, considering research groups organizations and open systems, this theoretical study aims at describing some tools from management science and systems theory which may contribute to the process of creation and management of research groups. In order to achieve this goal, authors focus on a systems approach instead of an analytical approach, emphasizing reasearch groups as changing and learning organizations seeking to find equilibrium with the purpose to be viable. In the hierarchy of systems, social systems present a relevant level of complexity, such as research groups, with outputs resulting from the interaction among their processes, culture and structure, Therefore, the evolution and transformation of research groups are a result of the interaction among creativity and leadership skills, the definition of the group’s activities regarding direction, coordination, control and bureauracy, with the main objective to foster collaboration. Research group leaders must implement strategies to favor creative processes and the use of lateral thinking by its members. In this scenario, managing knowledge production in Universities has traditionally been considered an administration task which did not require leadership and management skills. However, to deal with soft problem, lead and build up research groups, leaders of research groups must constitute entrepreneurial leadership. In knowledge organizations, working with temporary organizational structures, rapid organizational change and networks are some of the characteristics of a new kind of organizational entrepreneur. Research group leaders must have the capacity to manage networks with the ability to persuade followers and build up a group around themselves. To do so, the research leader must also demonstrate scientific credibility and status, named scientific capital, creating a legitimate power, generated in interaction and dialogue. The verbal and non verbal effective communication among the members of the group is an important element to consolidate trust relationships and the identity of the group. In this context, some tools must be applied such as the concepts of situational leadership, organizational knowledge management and creation, as well as the definition of the group’s vision and mission, considering its internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats. The ideas of cognitive proximity and distance can also be applied to better understand the group’s dynamics, especially when they are interdisciplinary an international. In sum, the management science and the system theory offer significant tools to optimize internal and external processes of research groups, aiming at achieving a satisfactory level of collaboration and to have knowledge expressed and implemented with benefits reverting to society.

Keywords:

Research, Research Groups, Management, System, Knowledge Management, Knowledge Creation.