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Management of Scientific Staff at the Harwell Laboratory of the U. K. Atomic Energy Authority
Author(s) -
Low G. G. E.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
randd management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.253
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1467-9310
pISSN - 0033-6807
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9310.1982.tb00477.x
Subject(s) - atomic energy , work (physics) , government (linguistics) , nuclear power , power (physics) , engineering management , matrix (chemical analysis) , business , public relations , engineering ethics , engineering , political science , sociology , mechanical engineering , physics , chemistry , agency (philosophy) , social science , linguistics , philosophy , chromatography , quantum mechanics , nuclear physics
Harwell's primary role. is to serve as the main research laboratory supporting the U. K. nuclear power development programme; in addition it undertakes research and development outside of the nuclear field for Government and industrial customers. Overall, there is the need to manage a very large number of separate and often disparate items of work and to ensure effective communication with senior managers of the nuclear power programme and with commercial customers on allocation of resources and technical progress. This is done through a version of “matrix management”. A large proportion of the technical, commercial and staff management decisions are devolved within Harwell's matrix organisation where teams of staff required for particular items of R & D are formed by arrangements agreed locally between the two axes of the matrix. The smaller groupings of staff created in the matrix are important in providing environments where good staff management practices can be established and where a team spirit aids motivation and technical initiative.