ABSTRACT
This chapter reflects on experience of national managed programmes of research and development (R&D) in the UK, Sweden and Norway. With a common research ancestry in sociotechnical systems, the programmes can be seen as addressing collaborative working, but with varying degrees of emphasis on technology. Sociotechnical systems provide a discourse in which technology is not considered in isolation. It is recognised that people and organisations use technology in the context of purposeful action, and all three dimensions need to be understood. In a globalised world and with increased international competition in local markets there is pressure to achieve innovation, which is seen as a means of achieving competitive advantage. In the UK, the Thatcher government closed the Work Research Unit, formerly based at the Tavistock Institute, and largely abandoned regional development policies. Designing a new national programme of managed research is a complex exercise. While intended to bring about improvements, it can also be seen as prejudicial to vested interests.
