R&D networking in a pharmaceutical company: Some implications for human resource management

A case-study of the R&D networking activities of Glaxo Group Research was carried out between June and November 1993. Different types of networking situation were identified using a simple 2times2 matrix –- the ‘networking uncertainty map’. This paper describes the background to Glaxo's R&D networking activities, introduces and illustrates the uncertainty map and then suggests the implications of each type of network. There are implications in general for R&D management and more specifically for the management of human resources in R&D. Managers might easily apply the uncertainty map to their own R&D networking situations.