Successful scientists should be rock stars – here are six ways how we’re helping them shine

In our industries, if you want to bring innovative products to the market, you need excellent researchers. At Merck, we aim to rank among the leading science and technology companies. It follows that we need to attract and nurture the best scientists.

Of course, everyone in our organization matters equally, from our production teams to our sales people and finance experts, just to name a few. But our researchers are the ones who are discovering and developing the products that we need to drive our success – from the next generation of cancer drugs to novel genome editing technology and faster computer chips. Without them, we couldn’t realize our goals.

We want Merck to be a fantastic place to work and to do research – and we know we have room to improve. That is why we surveyed all our employees to find out how we could do better.

Here’s what we learned when it comes to our R&D teams.

1. Show them that they are valued and involve them

Our R&D teams helped us identify key priorities to tackle, from feedback to career paths. We’ve set up project teams to put these into action and many of our colleagues immediately agreed to take part, in addition to doing their normal work. Simply asking our scientists what they need to thrive has sent a signal that we value them.

2. Give regular feedback

It is well documented that regular feedback leads to more productive and happier employees. This is particularly vital in R&D, where projects can require big investments of time and money. For example, it takes around ten years and more than $2 billion to develop a new medicine – and less than one in ten make it from clinical trial to market. Consequently, there will always be many unknowns before we understand what works and what doesn’t. And of course that isn’t always synchronous with the annual performance review process for our researchers.

This can be frustrating for individuals, inefficient and expensive. That’s why we’re piloting a new process for a continuous performance dialogue, so that feedback becomes a normal part of day-to-day business.

3. Create career paths for scientists

When I started my career as a researcher in the 1980s, the only way to progress was by becoming a manager. Since then, industry has changed, but not enough. If we want researchers to do their best, we need to give them opportunities to develop. Not everybody wants to swap their lab coat for office wear. But that doesn’t mean they don’t want to improve their knowledge, salary or position in the company. At Merck, we’re therefore strengthening the expert career track that rewards and recognizes scientists for doing what they love – great science.

4. Give managers the right training and support

Some specialists want to move into management and they have the potential to do so. However, the transition is not always easy. Managing researchers requires skills that are a lot different from actually doing research, such as the ability to communicate sensitively. We want to give new and existing managers tailored training and support specific to R&D needs, so they can get the best out of their teams. And when it comes to rewarding leaders, we’re putting even more emphasis on good people management.

5. Break down barriers

Great scientific advances often come from totally unexpected connections. At Merck, we have a broad business portfolio that includes medicines as well as life science products and specialty chemicals. We believe our future lies in bringing together the very different competencies of our researchers. For example, we’re developing biosensing technology that will allow doctors to monitor tiny changes in the body in real time. To do that, we have materials chemists working with biologists and medical experts. We want to encourage more of this cross-pollination, so we’re starting a Merck Science Network to help scientists from across our businesses share ideas and collaborate.

6. Give them freedom to experiment

Most scientists are naturally curious about the world and want to improve it. The challenge isn’t to motivate them – it’s to not demotivate them. Let me give you an example. More than 40 years ago, a group of Merck researchers was fascinated by liquid crystals. They worked persistently on this, even though many in our company, including members of senior management, really couldn’t see the point. Yet their perseverance paid off. Initially, the business developed slowly. Even in the 1990s, our colleagues were astonished when a huge order of 100 kilograms of liquid crystals came in from Japan. The reason for this were the Tamagotchis, the handheld digital pets that were very popular at this time. Today, liquid crystals are in the displays of most smartphones, computers and televisions and Merck is the market leader. Our experts are constantly pushing the bounds of this technology, from materials for energy-saving displays to car windows that can be darkened at the touch of a button. This success story would not have been possible without the curiosity and the perseverance of our scientists. 

Great science needs the right mixture of freedom and framework. Of course, we need to be careful about how we use our resources and set clear timelines and objectives. However, we also want to give our scientists the flexibility to explore the questions that interest them.

There will always be an element of serendipity in R&D. We can by no means always accurately predict big breakthroughs. I’m sure of one thing, however: We should celebrate successful scientists like rock stars. Our job as managers is to help them shine.

I’ve shared a few of the ways we’re trying to make Merck a great place to do science. I’d love to hear about others’ experiences. What do you think creates a great environment for R&D?