Switching Hats: Lessons in R&D Leadership from Academia to Industry, and then Going Back Again
What do you do when your R&D role leaves you less time for actual R&D?
If you’re Professor Justin Coon — formerly of Toshiba’s European R&D Lab, now leading an academic group at Oxford, while co-founding a startup — you switch hats. Literally and figuratively.
In a recent conversation on the R&D Management Podcast, Justin sat down with us (Orestis, Mykola, and Stephen) to explore the nuances of moving between academic and industry R&D, how leadership evolves with scale, and why empowering others might be the most technical thing you can do.
This wasn’t just a retrospective. It was a deep dive into the mechanics of innovation leadership, from technical alignment to team dynamics to the subtle art of project management.
Here are the top takeaways from our discussion.
1. Leadership Means Giving Up Control — and That’s a Good Thing
One of the recurring themes of our conversation was this: the further up the ladder you go, the more you lead through others, not through your own technical execution.
At Toshiba, Justin found himself managing engineers with multiple patents and years of experience — all while trying to keep pace with the latest research. It became clear that to set technical direction, he couldn’t also be the one implementing every detail.
“To delegate effectively, you have to spend real time understanding your people. What they know. What excites them. What they want to grow into.”
This isn’t management for its own sake. It’s strategic talent placement. It’s letting others shape the research — and often, do it better than you could.
2. Technical Relevance Doesn’t Happen by Accident
Whether in academia or industry, staying on top of a technical field takes structure.
Justin admits that in industry, he struggled to stay “technically sharp” amidst the demands of team leadership and stakeholder management. But academia has its own distractions: paper overload, teaching, funding cycles, and administration.
His solution?
Carve out uninterrupted technical reading time
Empower team members to surface important work
Stay close to real-world problems through consulting or spinouts
“The trick isn’t doing everything yourself. It’s knowing which questions to ask — and who can help you answer them quickly.”
3. Academia and Industry Have More in Common Than You Think
We often frame academia as slow and blue-sky, and industry as fast and product-driven. But Justin sees a shared core:
“In both, you have to be entrepreneurial. You have to look for ideas, raise funds (grants or investment), and bring people along.”
And both are shaped more by people than by process.
Yes, companies need deliverables and deadlines. But academics deal with publication pressures, grant reporting, and a new kind of accountability: the long arc of reputation.
In both cases, structure matters — but only if it matches the people and the mission.
4. Org Structure Doesn’t Solve Everything — Culture Does
Justin reflected on attempts to restructure Toshiba’s lab multiple times: team realignments, new project formats, more cross-talk between groups.
Did it work?
“Kind of,” he admits. The structures were sound on paper — some drawn from expert consultants or best-practice frameworks — but they always ran up against reality: human behavior.
“At the end of the day, it came down to personalities. What people wanted from their careers. What they were afraid to lose. That’s what really shaped how well things worked.”
In both academic labs and corporate R&D, team dynamics can make or break collaboration. Empowerment and ownership matter as much as org charts and OKRs.
5. Project Management is Invisible Until It’s Missing
One surprising insight? Great project management is like a swan: elegant above water, frantic below.
Justin described one project manager who “kept everything on track — without anyone realizing how much work it took.”
“When you scale, you need someone making sure everyone knows what’s due, when, and why it matters. That’s not micromanagement. That’s enabling focus.”
In startups, you might manage timelines yourself. But as soon as the team grows beyond a few people, professional PMs free up technical leaders to actually lead technically.
And if you think “agile” means skipping documentation or accountability? You’re probably doing it wrong.
6. Spinning Out from Academia? Make a Plan
As a professor and startup founder, Justin juggles both worlds. His key advice for researchers exploring entrepreneurship?
Write a separation plan. How will you manage IP, conflicts of interest, and time? Even if no one requires it — do it for yourself.
Separate your roles physically. His home study is across the road from the startup office — a clear boundary.
Share the story. Students respond when they see their professors taking research into the real world.
“Students aren’t always inspired by theory alone. But when they see it in action — in a product, in a startup — it clicks.”
Final Thought: Build Trust Before You Need It
Whether it’s across disciplines, between institutions, or inside a small team — trust is the infrastructure of innovation.
Justin shared how he prepared for high-stakes visits from Toshiba Japan by aligning the team’s story in advance — not to script it, but to unify the message.
Today, he does the same with students, collaborators, and startup teammates.
“Keep it simple. Know your audience. And always be aware: they might not see the world like you do.”
Good R&D leaders adapt without losing authenticity. They manage tension without causing stress. They switch hats — but they stay human.
If you’re leading — or aspiring to lead — in R&D, follow the R&D Management Podcast for more conversations like this.
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