Exploring the effects of the motivation of a research project on the research team composition, management, and outputs (Research in progress paper) Masatsura IGAMI (NISTEP, National Institute of Science and Technology Policy) Sadao NAGAOKA (IIR, Hitotsubashi University) 1 JSPS KAKENHI 21243020 Supported by STI 2014 Leiden, 4 September 2014
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(Research in progress paper, presented at STI2014) Exploring the effects of the motivation of a research project on the research team composition, management, and outputs
(Research in progress paper, presented at STI2014) Exploring the effects of the motivation of a research project on the research team composition, management, and outputs
Scientists' motivation to conduct research can be broadly classified as either external motivation, such as fame or financial gain, or internal motivation (Deci and Flaste, 1996). Various cases have demonstrated the importance of intellectual curiosity as an internal motivation (Misu, Horoiwa & Tsunoda, 2008; Stephan, 2012). At the same time, scientific research is a competitive process that seeks to establish priority (Merton, 1973). Consequently, the external motivation of achieving fame and recognition via the establishment of priority in research is also important.
The quadrant model introduced by Donald Stokes provides a method for classifying research motivation by content (Stokes, 1997). Stokes applied this concept to overcome the classification of research as one-dimensional (i.e., either basic or applied) and categorized research motivation into “pursuit of fundamental principles/understanding” and “solving specific issues in real life.” In this model, the Pasteur's quadrant covers such “use-inspired basic research” exemplified by the research by Pasteur, while the Bohr's quadrant covers pure basic research and the Edison's quadrant covers pure applied research.
Analyses of recent scientific papers reveal an increase in the number of authors per paper over time (Adams, Black, Clemmons, and Stephan, 2005; Wuchty, Jones, and Uzzi, 2007). This trend indicates a shift in the unit of scientific research from the individual to a team of scientists and implies that the composition and management of such teams have become increasingly important in scientific research.
On the basis of the previous studies, the purpose of this research in progress paper is to analyse the following questions: Is there relationship between motivation of a research project and (i) the composition of the research team; (ii) research management; and (iii) research outputs?
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Exploring the effects of the motivation of a research project on the research team
composition, management, and outputs (Research in progress paper)
Masatsura IGAMI (NISTEP, National Institute of Science and Technology Policy)
Sadao NAGAOKA (IIR, Hitotsubashi University)
1 JSPS KAKENHI 21243020
Supported by
STI 2014 Leiden, 4 September 2014
Current situation in Japanese S&T
Japanese Universities
Unstable positions of
young scholars
Increasing weight of
competitive funding
Internationalization
Regional issues
Inter-/multi-disciplinary
research
Commercialization
/Society
• Increasing demands to accountability and economic/social contribution
• Various issues are raised and policy measures are being taken place.
• But, weak (no) coordination among policy measures.
• Decreasing of time allocated to research (Kanda, 2011)
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(Inevitable social trends) • Aging society • Rising of emerging countries • Financial problem
<Background and research questions>
Research question
• Is it possible to tackle all issues in parallel? • Some policy measure would have negative impact on other
policy measure. • Proper coordination among policy measures would maximize
the effects of policy.
3
<Background and research questions>
This study tries to demonstrate how the motivations (contexts) of research characterize activities of a research team.
Provision of an evidence for discussions of policy planning.
Hitotsubashi-NISTEP-Georgia Tech scientist survey
Questionnaire • Inputs • Research team • Motivation and process • Knowledge source and management • Research Environment • Personal Environment • Outputs • Commercialization
• Research projects of natural sciences and universities.
– Responses from respondents affiliated with universities when the focal paper was submitted.
• Single author papers were not included to analyze characteristics of research teams.
• Answers of young scholars, students and postdoctoral fellows, were not included. – We hypothesize that decisions of research management and composition
of research team were made by senior scholars.
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<Regression analyses>
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Results of regression (Research management)
Solving specific issues in real life
Setting of ambitious goal
Formation of a network of researchers
Information sharing in research team
Discussion with a leader of a research
team
Pursuit of fundamental
principles/understandings
+JPN, USA
+JPN, USA
+JPN, USA
+JPN, USA
+JPN, USA
+JPN, USA
+JPN, USA
+JPN, USA
<Regression analyses>
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Results of regression (Research team)
Solving specific issues in real life
Heterogeneity in fields
Heterogeneity in skills
University-industry collaboration
International co-authorship
Pursuit of fundamental
principles/understandings
+JPN, USA
+JPN
+JPN
− JPN, USA
− USA
− USA
+ USA
+ JPN
<Regression analyses>
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Results of regression (Research outputs)
Solving specific issues in real life
Patent application
Start-up company
Percentrank of forward citations
Pursuit of fundamental
principles/understandings
+JPN, USA
+JPN, USA
+JPN, USA
No correlation with the incidence of patent application
and start-up company.
No correlation with the percentrank of forward citations.
<Regression analyses>
Summary (tentative)
(Research management) • Research projects that had a stronger motivation were more
actively managed.
(Research team composition) • Strong association between the type of motivation and the
composition of a research team was found. • The heterogeneity of research team in terms of fields and skills
were higher in the research projects that had higher motivation for "solving specific issues in real life.”
• The likelihood of international co-authorship is negatively correlation with motivation for "solving specific issues in real life.”
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<Summary and discussions>
Summary (tentative)
(Research outputs) • Type of outputs of the research project is correlated with the type
of motivation. • No correlation between the strength of the motivation for "pursuit
of fundamental understandings" and the incidence of the commercialization of the research outcomes.
• Similarly, the strength of the motivation for "solving specific issues in real life" is not correlated with the citation counts.
• This finding indicates the importance of “Pasteur’s quadrant” in research (Stokes, 1997).
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<Summary and discussions>
Implication to S&T policy especially in Japan (tentative)
• Incentive system that increase motivation of research projects is needed. – Satisfaction rating of Japanese scientists is the lowest among major
countries (Naturejobs, 2010) – Japanese researchers express their concern about declining of “Long-
term Research” and “Challenging research that may result in a new research area.” (NISTEP, 2011)
– Declining Japan’s presence in hot research (NISTEP, 2014)
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<Summary and discussions>
Declining Japan’s presence in hot research
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<Summary and discussions>
41%36%
33%
60%64%
61%
57% 58%55%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Science Map 2008
Science Map 2010
Science Map 2012
Cove
rage
of r
esea
rch
area
s
Japan
UK
Germany
Saka, A. and Igami, M.(2014) Science Map 2010&2012, NISTEP REPORT No.159, July 2014 (Highlights in English is available at http://www.nistep.go.jp/en/)
Implication to S&T policy especially in Japan (tentative)
• Support of research projects (and researchers) should be made in consistent with the motivation of research. – Primary target of internationalization of research would be Bohr-type
research, not Edison-type research.
• Various indicators should be used for monitoring of research projects. – Putting to too much weight on the indicators of papers and citations