Building a research culture in SUCs
(Pathways to research excellence)
Raymund B. Habaradas, DBA
Director, Center for Business Research and Development
Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business
De La Salle University (RVR-COB)

School administrators / research directors
Teaching, not
research, is seen as
the main function of
our school.
Faculty members
are not motivated
because of their
heavy teaching load.
Faculty members see
research simply as a
means to earn an
advanced degree or
to get tenure.
Research is not a way
of life in our school.
There is a ‘lack of
research culture’ in
our school.
Faculty members
lack confidence to
do research.
Faculty members
are not interested
to do research.

Organizational culture
“…customary and traditional
way of thinking and doing
things, which is shared to a
greater or lesser degree by
all its members, and which
new members must learn,
and at least partially accept,
in order to be accepted into
service in the firm.”
- Elliott Jacques (1952)

Organizational culture
• Organizational culture can be thought of as
the glue that holds an organization together
through a sharing of patterns of meaning. The
culture focuses on the values, beliefs, and
expectations that members come to share.
- Caren Siehl & Joanne Martin (1984)

Sony’s founder said:
• If it were possible to establish
conditions where persons could
become united with a firm spirit
of teamwork and exercise to
their heart’s desire their
technological capacity … then
such an organization could bring
untold pleasure and untold
benefits … Those of like minds
have naturally come together to
embark on these ideals.
• - Masaru Ibuka, founder of Sony
Module 1 - What is an organization? 5

Sony’s goals
Purposes of incorporation Management guidelines
• To establish a place of work where
engineers can feel the joy of
technological innovation, be aware of
their mission to society, and work to
their heart’s content
• To pursue dynamic activities in
technology and production for the
reconstruction of Japan and the
elevation of the nation’s culture
• To apply advanced technology to the
life of the general public
• We shall eliminate any unfair profit-
seeking, persistently emphasize
substantial and essential work, and not
merely pursue growth
• We shall welcome technical difficulties
and focus on highly sophisticated
technical products that have great
usefulness in society, regardless of
quantity involved
• We shall place our main emphasis on
ability, performance, and personal
character so that each individual can
show the best in ability and skill
Module 1 - What is an organization? 6

Sony Pioneer Spirit
• Sony is a pioneer and never
intends to follow others.
Through progress, Sony wants
to serve the whole world. It
shall always be a seeker of the
unknown…. Sony has a
principle of respecting and
encouraging one’s ability… and
always tries to bring out the
best in a person. This is the
vital force of Sony.
• - Akio Morita, former Sony CEO
Module 1 - What is an organization? 7

Sony’s early innovations
First magnetic tape recorder in Japan (1950)
First all-transistor radio (1955)
First pocket-sized radio (1957)
First home-use videotape recorder (1964)
Sony Walkman (1979)
Module 1 - What is an organization? 8

Organizational culture
• The pattern of basic assumptions that a given
group has invented, discovered, or developed
in learning to cope with its problems of
external adaptation and internal integration,
and that have worked well enough to be
considered valid, and, therefore, to be taught
to new members as the correct way to
perceive, think, and feel in relation to these
problems.
- Edgar Schein (1985)

Schein’s model
Assumptions
Taken for granted;
invisible
Values
Greater level of
awareness
Artifacts
Visible but often
undecipherable
Levels of culture Functions of organizational culture
• Internal integration.
To integrate members so
that they know how to
relate to one another
• External adaptation.
To help the organization
adapt to the external
environment

Cultural elements
• Artifacts – the visible, tangible, and audible remains
of behavior grounded in cultural norms, values, and
assumptions
• Norms – the unwritten rules that allow members of a
culture to know what is expected of them in a wide
variety of situations
• Values – social principles, goals, and standards held
within a culture to have intrinsic worth
• Assumptions – represent what members believe to
be reality and thereby influence what they perceive
and how they think and feel

Activity: Does your school have a
culture supportive of research?
• Move to the left or to the right of the room,
depending on how you assess the organizational
culture of your school (as reflected on statements
that will be flashed onscreen).
• If called by the facilitator, mention your name and
your school, and be prepared to briefly explain your
choice.

Move to left Move to the right
For faculty members in
our school, teaching is
more important than
research.
For faculty members in
our school, teaching
and research are given
equal importance.
Values: Teaching excellence, research excellence

Move to left Move to the right
A university’s primary
role is to produce
graduates that will be
able to find jobs and be
productive members of
society.
A university’s primary
role is to produce new
knowledge that will
influence policy and
practice, and improve
the quality of life.
Assumptions about the role of a university in society

Move to left Move to the right
In our school, faculty
members do research
only if they get some
compensation for it, or
to get promoted
In our school, faculty
members do research
for the intellectual
challenge and the
recognition
Values: Money, career advancement, intellectual
challenge, recognition

Move to left Move to the right
Our school gives
incentives only for
outstanding teaching
performance, not for
research.
Our school has
recognition ceremonies
for faculty members
who publish or do
research.
Rewards and incentive systems, as well as rites and
ceremonies are examples of artifacts

Artifacts of organizational culture
Physical
manifestations
Behavioral
manifestations
Verbal
manifestations
Art / design / logo
Buildings / décor
Dress / appearance
Material objects
Physical layout
Ceremonies /
rituals
Communication
patterns
Traditions /
customs
Rewards /
punishments
Anecdotes / jokes
Jargon / names /
nicknames
Explanations
Stories / myths /
history
Heroes / villains
Metaphors

Key organizational dimensions
Goals and
strategy
Organizational
technology
Organization
structure
Organizational
culture
Refers to the tools, techniques,
and actions used to transform
inputs into outputs
Define the purpose and
competitive techniques
that set it apart from
other organizationsUnderlying set of key values,
beliefs, understandings, and
norms shared by employees
Internal characteristics of the
organization (e.g. formalization,
specialization, centralization,
and hierarchy of authority)
Adapted from Daft, R. (2007). Understanding
the theory and design of organizations.

Research@DLSU: 1960s
Year Developments
1961 to 1967 • Research during the Br. C. Richard’s tenure as President
of De La Salle College (DLSC) took the form of
‘brainstorming’ for ways to make the Department of
Education’s requirements for school curricula more
relevant.
• Research was applied in the development of education
and the learning process (e.g. grade school textbook
entitled Carlos and Rita, written by Br. Fidelis O’Neill
and the grade school faculty).
• Br. J. Lucian inaugurated studies in guidance and
counseling in the Philippines, consisting of cases in
basic investigation, the preparation of guidelines, and
the compilation of a guidance counselor handbook.
Source: Maraan (1982), as cited in Maraan, Tolentino & Billena (2003)

Research@DLSU: 1960s
Year Developments
1967 Br. H. Gabriel Connon was elected President of De La Salle
College. The research function of the College began to
take shape. DLSC encouraged the production of suitable
teaching materials for undergraduate education.
1968 to 1969 The Guidance Office administered a battery of admission
tests, with a view to their possible updating or revision.
On-going studies on failures among the freshmen, on
remedial classes, and correlation studies became regular
features of the research agenda of the said office.
Source: Maraan (1982), as cited in Maraan, Tolentino & Billena (2003)

Research@DLSU: Early 1970s
Year Developments
1971 Br. Andrew Gonzalez became Academic Vice President,
and continued incorporating research into the De La Salle
system of higher learning. He later recounted: “In those
days, what was missing in higher education was research.
We paid lip service to research… So we decided, as part of
policy decisions, that [xxx] we had to make research an
integral part of our system” (Maraan, et. al., 2003)
1974-1975 The Office of the VP for Development and Research was
established in order to “meet the need for a full-time man
at the top management level to stimulate both academic
research and institutional research; direct long-range
development plans and fund-raising efforts; and maintain
liaison with the outside agencies funding specific
operations and projects” (President’s Report 1974-1975)

Research@DLSU: Early 1970s
Year Developments
1974-1975 The Office for Development and Research undertook
numerous activities that led to the following:
• Establishment of the College Research Council as an
interdisciplinary screening committee for research
proposals
• Development of procedures for the submission and
evaluation of projects
• Establishment of departmental publications to serve as
a vehicle for the publication of research
1975 The Research Council screened research proposals and
provided small grants to approved proposals from the
school’s budgetary item for research. Few applications
were received; some of the grant money were unused.
Source: Maraan, Tolentino & Billena (2003)

Research@DLSU: Late 1970s
Year Developments
1976-1977 Research Council was deluged with applications, funding
for all of which had become insufficient. In addition, the
University received funding from outside agencies for
several projects of national significance.
DLSU funded seminars on research so as to increase the
number of faculty actively involved in research.
1977 Br. Andrew focused on a five-year orientation “to channel
the energies and creativity of the faculty to add to our
store of knowledge about the Philippines and Philippine
realities so as to indigenize knowledge and contribute to a
‘relevant’… education.”
Source: Abut-Tanaw, August 1977 and Maraan (1982), as cited in Maraan, Tolentino
& Billena (2003)

Research@DLSU: Late 1970s
Year Developments
1979 • Various offices and centers were restructured into the
Integrated Research Center (IRC), which aimed to
provide University funding and support services for
faculty research and to facilitate research and
consulting activities of the faculty.
• Four offices were created under the IRC: (a) Research
and Publications Office, (b) Industrial Development
Office, (c) Materials Development Office, and (d)
International Research Projects Office.
• IRC also introduced the following programs: (a) Visiting
Research Fellows Program and (b) Overload-Equivalent
for Research Program.
Source: Maraan, Tolentino & Billena (2003)

Research@DLSU: Early 1980s
Year Developments
1980-1981 Activities meant to establish outside contacts:
• Updating of Center’s current mailing list, and sending
out brochures on the IRC
• Meeting with representatives of associations,
foundation groups, etc.
• Setting up mechanisms and procedures for getting
books published for wider readership
Activities meant to strengthen Center’s internal base:
• Hosting of seminar series on research, textbook
writing, consultation / seminar-teaching techniques,
and the initiation of publication projects
• Determining faculty capabilities and facilities available
for outside use through surveys

Research@DLSU: Early 1980s
Year Developments
1981-1982 IRC refined its thrusts
• For internally-funded research, the thrust was research
in the instructional service of the University
• For externally-funded research, the thrusts were policy
studies related to problems of development, and
studies on poverty and social equity (e.g. employment
creation, appropriate technology, energy, population,
and environment)
1983-1984 The IRC was renamed the DLSU Research Center
1984-1985 Shift in the research-orientation of DLSU Research Center
from basic, diagnostic researches to more action-oriented
strategies. Offices under the Center included the
following: (a) External Research Office, (b) University
Research Office, and (c) Research Dissemination Office.

Research@DLSU: Late 1980s
Year Developments
1985-1987 Several changes in the leadership of the DLSU Research
Center.
1987 The Research Dissemination Office (RDO) became the
DLSU Press, which published trade books, textbooks,
monographs, occasional papers, scholarly journals,
research reports, and professorial chair lectures.
Rest of the
decade
Restructuring was done with the primary aim of
deepening the ‘culture of research’ on the campus, to
further develop the research capabilities and expertise of
the individual colleges and departments in the University,
and to encourage autonomy and self-reliance among
colleges with respect to research endeavors (Lamberte,
1991).

Research@DLSU: 1990s
Year Developments
1990s • Research activities on campus increased tremendously
both in terms of volume and diversity.
• Research decentralization led to the establishment of
full-blown research unit for every college, where all
researches could be channelled, concentrated and
coordinated.
• The University Research Office became the University
Research Coordination Office (URCO), which still exists
today; while the External Research Office became the
Social Development Research Center (SDRC), which is
now under the College of Liberal Arts. Other research
units under individual colleges were created since
then.

Research@DLSU today
• Social Development
Research Center
• Bienvenido N. Santos
Creative Writing Center
• Jessie Robredo Institute of
Governance
• Advanced Research Institute
for Informatics, Computing
and Networking
• Center for Engineering and
Sustainable Development
Research
• Lasallian Institute for
Development and
Educational Research
• Center for Business Research
and Development
• Angelo King Institute
• Yuchengco Center
• Center for Natural Sciences
and Ecological Research
• Br. Alfred Shields, FSC
Marine Station

Research@DLSU today
Research outputs No.
Articles in ISI-listed journals 73
Articles in other refereed journals 129
Books 12
Chapter in an edited book 12
Papers presented in international conferences 89
Papers presented in national conferences 122
Papers in conference proceedings 200
Source: Research @ De La Salle University - Annual Report for AY 2010-2011

Research@DLSU today
• DLSU is ranked 2nd in the Philippines in terms
of citations of faculty publications in
international journals
• Total internally-funded research (IFR)
expenditures for AY 2010 - 2011: P152
million+
• Total externally-funded research (EFR)
expenditures for AY 2010 - 2011 : P69 million+

Key organizational dimensions
Goals and
strategy
Organizational
technology
Organization
structure
Organizational
culture
Refers to the tools, techniques,
and actions used to transform
inputs into outputs
Define the purpose and
competitive techniques
that set it apart from
other organizationsUnderlying set of key values,
beliefs, understandings, and
norms shared by employees
Internal characteristics of the
organization (e.g. formalization,
specialization, centralization,
and hierarchy of authority)
Adapted from Daft, R. (2007). Understanding
the theory and design of organizations.

1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
Strategy: Research in
support of instruction
Structure: Research done
by individual units
Strategy: Research is part
of institutional strategy;
establishment of research
policies and guidelines;
enhance research
capability of faculty
Structure: Top level
support; creation of
offices that support
research activities Strategy: Seek external
funding for research
that address poverty,
social equity; engage
external stakeholders
Structure: Centralized
research center, but
with offices that handle
specialized functions
Strategy: Continue providing internal
funds for faculty research; seek
external funding for priority research
areas
Structure: Decentralized structure;
each college with its own research
center or institute
DLSU’s path

Workshop
• Work in groups of seven or eight. Participants from
the same school should be in the same group.
Choose a group facilitator.
• Group members must provide a brief overview of the
‘research situation’ in their respective schools. After
this initial sharing, the group must choose one school
it would like to examine further.

Workshop
• The group must envision possible “research
pathways” for the chosen school, using the key
organizational dimensions as a guide. “What must
the school adopt in terms of goals and strategy,
structure, and technology in order to create an
organizational culture that supports research?”
• Illustrate your group’s proposed “research pathways”
on the Manila paper provided.
• Assign a representative to explain your group’s
output to the plenary.

Building a research culture in SUCs
(Pathways to research excellence)
Raymund B. Habaradas, DBA
Director, Center for Business Research and Development
Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business
De La Salle University (RVR-COB)