Philips Nat.Lab

							             Philips Nat.Lab.

Introduction

1) The Research Department in Context,

2) The Birth of Industrial Research Laboratories,

3) Philips Nat.Lab.’s Knowledge Management

Discussion
    The Philips Company




The start of Philips in Eindhoven 1891
The Philips Company
The Philips Company
        The Philips Company




The expansion and diversification in the 1900 - 1920
The Philips Company




   Philips Idezet Radio Tube
    The Philips Company




Radio as a commercial product – 1927
The Philips Company
    The Industrial Research Laboratory
The historical context of scientific Research Institutes

Francis Bacon’s (1627) ideal:
- science as servant of society in Salomo’s House (Nova Atlantis)
- knowledge is power

 Industrial Research Instituties:
- science and technology as a siametic twin,
- fundamental research versus applied research.
     The birth of University Research Labs


Johannes van der Waals

Heike Kamerlingh Onnes


Liquidization of Helium (~ 1905)
The birth of Industrial Research Labs
- Scientific Research in Industry:
At the end of the nineteenth century: invention changed
from an individual act into an outcome of an organizational
process. Teamwork became important.

- Big industrial labs emerged around 1900:

- GE, Bell, Kodak, Siemens, Philips Nat.Lab.,
- patents (outcome of scientific research) as market
instruments,
- scientists in servant of capitalism?
- (Knowledge) Management problem.
      Science, technology: the researcher
                and the institute



Thomas Edison in his lab
         The Industrial Research
               Laboratory
Definition of an industrial research department:

‘…set apart from production facilities, staffed by people
trained in science and advanced engineering who work
toward deeper understandings of corporate-related science
and technology, and who are organized and administered to
keep them somewhat insulated from immediate demands
yet responsive to long-term company needs’ (Reich, 1985).

 Its importance:

 The greatest invention of the nineteenth century was
 the invention of the method of invention (Whitehead).
              Philips Nat.Lab.
Period 1914 – 1945, director Gilles Holst.

- humble start as a small organization,


- diversification and organizational growth,


- ‘Knowledge Management’.
Nat.Lab. Research and
      Products
       Nat.Lab. Products




Penthode tube
                  Metalix tube
            Philips Nat.Lab.

        The Nat.Lab. Under Holst
          Early period (1914 – 1923)

- Patent Law, 1910,

- Hybrid character with respect to types of work,

- Small population,

- Organizational growth after 1923 due to the
companies diversification strategy.
                                 employees
                   19




       0
           100
                 200
                           300
                                    400
                                             500
                                                   600
                                                         700
                                                               800
                      28
                   19
                      29
                   19
                      30
                   19
                      31
                   19
                      32
                   19
                      33
                   19
                      34
                   19
                      35
                   19
                      36
                   19
                      37
                   19




year
                      38
                   19
                      39
                   19
                      40
                   19
                      41
                                                                     total number of Nat.Lab. employees 1928 - 1946




                   19
                      42
                   19
                      43
                   19
                      44
                   19
                      45
                   19
                      46
             Philips Nat.Lab.

         The Nat.Lab. under Holst
               Period 1923 – 1946

- Enabling Philips’ diversification program,

- Increase of means,

- Formal management with informal aspects,

- ORCO meetings, R&D networks.
 Knowledge Management at the
       Philips Nat.Lab.
K.M. at the Nat.Lab. on three levels:

- the   individual researchers,

- groupwork,

- organizational embeddedness.
               Philips Nat.Lab.

R&D Knowledge Management on Three Levels

Individual     professional scientists with colloquia and notebooks in
researcher     a growing academic culture, increasing importance of
               scientific activities, R&D leadership.

Groups         diversification of products and (selection of) research
inside the     groups, group responsibilities, protocols for
laboratory     innovation patterns.
Organizatio-   participation in committees with other departments in
nal            the company and the upper management, contacts
embedded-      with universities for personnel and knowledge
ness           exchange, standardization activities, participation
               within R&D networks.
          Successful scientific research:
            teamwork and products
Shockley, Bardeen and
Brattain: the invention of
the transistor at the Bell
labs.
           First Period: Embedded


A small Institute as a servant for the company with Holst as
director:

- Anton Philips as dominant company leader,

- diversification and internationalization,

- publications and patents.
        Second Period: Isolated

A famous international research institute with Casimir as
director:

- science as the endless frontier,

- growing company and lab with formal structure,

- fundamental research and scientific freedom,

- isolated from production, bad communication.
Hendrik Casimir
       Booming Science at Philips


Philips Cyclotron
            Third Period: Contracted

Closely connected to the Company with Pannenborg as director:

- economic crisis, bad sides of industries (environmental polution),

- contract research (2/3 of the budget), free research (1/3 of the budget),

- technology roadmaps.
                 The Philips Nat.Lab.

    An industrial research laboratory as a
    paradox:

    - an investment in uncertainty,
-
    - organizational context:

          - entrepreneurial behavior,
          - scientific research as a promising investment.