Human aspects of the management of drug discovery knowledge

A well-defined strategy for knowledge management is a key success factor of any knowledge-intensive industry. This applies particularly well to pharmaceutical drug discovery, which is one of the most knowledge-intensive processes. The subject has only rarely been studied in the context of pharmaceutical firms and we can only extrapolate a limited number of findings from other industries. Here, we look at five key human aspects of knowledge management (social networks and communities of practice, the roles of professional knowledge managers, the behaviors and processes of knowledge workers, management strategies and tactics and the role of the external work environment) and how they apply to the drug discovery process.: