Leadership styles and planning and monitoring techniques in R & D

There is no shortage of literature on the subject of planning and control in research and development. There is less evidence that many of the more formal techniques are effectively used in practice. It can be argued that some of these techniques are very valuable aids to project managers, and to individual team members, if seen as components of leadership style, In this paper a link is made between a number of planning and control methods and the leadership model of Hersey and Blanchard. In conclusion it is argued that the potential value, and hence use, of different methods will be increased if more attention is paid to the contribution they can make to understanding and promoting individual development and project team performance.