Research and Technology Organizations and Management Models: A Systematic Literature Review

Research and Technology Organizations (RTOs) are significant elements for National Innovation Systems (NISs), with the potential of articulating different actors for social and technological development. Although RTOs are not so often identified in innovation ecosystem studies, the literature points out difficulties in their managerial processes, especially for institutions in developing countries. Thus, this research objective is to systematically analyze the literature aiming at a better understanding about the integration between processes and resources of existing management models for RTOs as an opportunity to identify gaps and to define possible fronts of interventions. It seeks to make explicit, in a broader way, aspects that can subsidize the operationalization of NISs in developing countries. The systematic literature review was carried out from the Web of Science (WoS) and the Scopus databases and evidenced contributions related to the dynamics of the management models adopted. In spite of the unfolding in practices and structures that may favor the effectiveness of research, development and innovation (RD&I), the identified models address only specific areas of management, which opens up opportunities for conducting studies that explore the systemic management of RD&I in RTOs, among other deployments.