33 min
How to Build Impactful R&D — Boris Korenfeld SphereCast
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- Technology
This week, the SphereCast team speaks with Boris Korenfeld, Director of Engineering over Waze and Carpool products at Google. Prior to his run with Google, Boris held various executive leadership roles within research and development — or R&D, for short. Korenfeld’s R&D experience began at Hewlett Packard and eventually moved to an Israeli transportation startup called Gett, where he was tasked with tripling the size of the R&D organization. At Gett, Boris held both Chief Technology Officer and General Manager roles before eventually taking his director role at Google.
Having architected and led a handful of R&D organizations, Boris is a wealth of knowledge around the best ways to construct and run research and development. On the podcast, among many other things, Boris speaks to the “ideal” R&D structure (if an “ideal” even exists), explains whether R&D is possible at small- and medium-sized companies, shares some lessons learned from having to triple his R&D staff at Gett, and even goes step-by-step on how to build a successful R&D org for any business.
Noteworthy Quotes:
"At the end of the day, the mission of R&D is to empower the business.”
"Research and development is not about some sort of ideal structure. It's about what's ideal for you and your company. You have to analyze many aspects which will lead you to the optimal org structure for your company. But if you do it right, it will take your company to the next level."
"Be listening to the triggers and adjust your R&D organization to your evolving business needs. Be brave and lead through the changes."
"The main dilemma of the R&D manager is maintaining flexibility and stability. It's all about balance. You can't maintain both 100 percent."
"Planning an R&D reorganization is generally a big and painful process. People don't like change... You have to invest appropriate time in building the change plan. Deep dive into details. Don't leave it at a high level."
"During R&D reorgs, it is critical to communicate to employees what is in it for them. What do they gain from this change? If that is communicated properly, it's a big push for success."
"Always assess business aspects before making plans to change an organization."
Bullet List of Resources –
Boris Korenfeld
LinkedIn
This week, the SphereCast team speaks with Boris Korenfeld, Director of Engineering over Waze and Carpool products at Google. Prior to his run with Google, Boris held various executive leadership roles within research and development — or R&D, for short. Korenfeld’s R&D experience began at Hewlett Packard and eventually moved to an Israeli transportation startup called Gett, where he was tasked with tripling the size of the R&D organization. At Gett, Boris held both Chief Technology Officer and General Manager roles before eventually taking his director role at Google.
Having architected and led a handful of R&D organizations, Boris is a wealth of knowledge around the best ways to construct and run research and development. On the podcast, among many other things, Boris speaks to the “ideal” R&D structure (if an “ideal” even exists), explains whether R&D is possible at small- and medium-sized companies, shares some lessons learned from having to triple his R&D staff at Gett, and even goes step-by-step on how to build a successful R&D org for any business.
Noteworthy Quotes:
"At the end of the day, the mission of R&D is to empower the business.”
"Research and development is not about some sort of ideal structure. It's about what's ideal for you and your company. You have to analyze many aspects which will lead you to the optimal org structure for your company. But if you do it right, it will take your company to the next level."
"Be listening to the triggers and adjust your R&D organization to your evolving business needs. Be brave and lead through the changes."
"The main dilemma of the R&D manager is maintaining flexibility and stability. It's all about balance. You can't maintain both 100 percent."
"Planning an R&D reorganization is generally a big and painful process. People don't like change... You have to invest appropriate time in building the change plan. Deep dive into details. Don't leave it at a high level."
"During R&D reorgs, it is critical to communicate to employees what is in it for them. What do they gain from this change? If that is communicated properly, it's a big push for success."
"Always assess business aspects before making plans to change an organization."
Bullet List of Resources –
Boris Korenfeld
LinkedIn
33 min