The Tech Behind Biotech
Your article "Real Science" (December, p. 16) brings up some interesting points about the biotechnology industry. However, as a 20-year veteran of the life sciences industry who has since turned consultant, I was surprised that more emphasis was not placed on the "technology" behind the biotechnology industry.
Technology has fueled the growth of the biotechnology industry. As recently as a few years ago, research and development that previously took 10 years or more to complete now takes a matter of months or days using sophisticated modeling tools. CRM and the Internet are gradually impacting areas like pipeline management and marketing. However, the average time from discovery to market for a drug is still seven to 10 years. Imagine if this could be reduced by 20 to 25 percent. New technological breakthroughs can speed up the cycle time and could represent potentially billions of dollars in realized revenues by getting a drug to market one or two years earlier.
As you alluded to, there are some real opportunities for consultants within the biotechnology industry. I believe that sound strategic advice coupled with technological advancements continues to be a driving force in the biotechnology and consulting industries. However, it is important for consultants to understand that opportunities in the industry far exceed capitalistic motivations. These opportunities could also mean the difference between life and death for someone they know, too.
Paul W. Allen
Vice President, Life Sciences
Clarkston
Princeton, NJ
Big Ideas
Your story "Two Worlds Divided by a Common Client" (December, p. 52) begins with what may be an unintentionally broad and provocative question: What's the Big Idea? That question got me thinking on a distinct, but related notion. The "Big Idea" certainly is not consultants and advertisers trying to out-finesse each other in the boardrooms of major American corporations. In my opinion, it is the very nature of the Big Idea itself that is hurting consulting today.
The Big Idea is what has guided consultants for the much of the last quarter century. Whether it was Reengineering, Transformation, Supply Chain Management, ERP, e-Everything, or even Y2K, the consulting industry has thrived on identifying and resolving far-reaching business issues. Indeed, it is the elusiveness today of a New Big Idea that is driving consulting firms of all sizes to increase the level of investment being made in the race to identify and capitalize on such a beast. Nearly every major consultancy has funded a research arm, enlisted a guru, or built a laboratory capability to assist in the effort. The results so far have been perhaps esoteric at best: blurred this, kinetic that, grids, synchronization, value codes, bacteria circuits, and the list goes on. To be sure, all of these make the firms and individuals who sponsor them feel good about being in the hunt for the Next Big Idea — and yes, there is undoubtedly very clever thinking behind most of these concepts. However, not many of the CEOs I speak with lately seem ready to buy into abstract notions with fuzzy returns. See what a consultant sitting on the bench thinks, too.
As a marketing consultant, I've often given counsel to clients that it is sometimes the ordinary done extraordinarily well that can truly surprise and delight. Traditional consulting has plenty of life in it yet. Management consultants seeking nirvana from obscure academic concepts, or by invading the turf of other professional services providers like advertisers, might do well to consider that — and soon.
Larry Mickelberg
Vice President
Broderick Associates LLC
Philadelphia, PA
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