Fourth Topic: Teamwork

    Do not be scared.. I will not bore you by spunning you a long-drawn-out tale about how teamwork may be essential... So keep on reading this post because no platitude is written here! However you will not be surprised if I tell you that teamwork is a major element of my coach's work. As you may guess it, researchers locking in an office alone are now endangered species. The aim of this post is thus to focuss on Sylvain's teamwork. As for Sylvain, teamwork is the key of success in Research because it allows the team members to brainstorm.Actually Sylvain belongs to two main teams:
1.The Voreppe R&D projects' teams.
   In Voreppe Research Center, two kinds of Research Units may be registered. There are indeed "Activity Research Units" and "Support Research Units". The "Activity Research Units" are directly linked to the trading activities. For instance, Sylvain is a member of the "Automotive Heat Exchangers" activity. The scope of the "Support Research Units" is transverse to the activities. As a matter of fact, the members of the "Suppot Research Units" carry out scientific investigations for the researchers of the"Activity Research Units". For example, the "Structural Investigations" unit conducts surface analysis or studies alloys through a microscope.
   To carry out a R&D project to a successful conclusion, the different competences from the different "Activity Research Units" and "Support Research Units" have to be gathered under the responsibility of a leader. As a matter of fact, it is a long time since an industrial researcher was in charge of all the stages of a project. As for the "Automotive Heat Exchanger" activity, Sylvain may be often appointed to be the leader of a project. Nevertheless, he may also be driven to be a team member of another activity's project if his knowledge of metallurgy are considered to be interesting. Moreover a leader of a project plays the job of organiser and coordinator, but is not necessarily the other team members' senior in charge.
2.The Automotive Heat Exchanger trading activity's team.
   Research is an integral part of trading activities. If you have a look at the post "Third Tipic: Innovation", you will easily understand that researches need to know the economic restraints ofa product. Moreover, industrial researchers have to make sure that their ideas could lead to industrial applications or commercial benefits. Thus the team is made up of a researcher, a marketing one and the person who is responsible for the development of the product. When Sylvain meets Alcan clients, the three functions are most of the time represented.
Differences between Academic Research and Industrial Research.
   Sylvain considers teamwork in Industrial Research very satisfying because it allows researchers to know all the stages of a product's creation:from technical marketing (looking for some good ideas by meeting the clients) to research in laboratory, industrialization and sale. As for Sylvain, it is one of the advantage of industrial research over academic research. Nevertheless, a little disadvantage is that industrial researcher do not have always time for deepening some subjects.