Restructuring corporate r&d: from an autonomous to a linkage model

Since the mid-1980s, industrial R & D in the US has been going through major changes, i.e. a decline in industrial R&D expenditure and restructuring of centralized coqorate R&D laboratories. the autonomous model of rerearch, which has existed since World War Il, is being replaced by the linkage model in many leading corporate R&D laboratories. This paper presents the main features of both models, the reasons behind the retructuring, and the future implications of the linkage model. The findings of the paper are primarily based on 53 industrial with industrial scientists and managers; most of the changes are new and have not been examined in the literature. This paper draws the attention of scholars to recent changes in the management qf znnovatzon and sugests further study. The linkage model links scientists' research to the immediatt needs of business. However, it also decreases the likelihood of major breakthroughs occurring in technological in.innovation.