Relations Between Science & Technology

April 10, 2007

What have we learned?

• So far, no answers but three questions.– Why don’t those outside the organizations

supply better ideas?– Why aren’t those inside the organization

consulted more?– How do the ‘internal consultants’ acquire

their information?

Science and Technology

ScientistInfo

VerbalInfo

PhysicallyEncoded

ScientistInfo

Verbal

EngineerInfo

VerbalInfo

Verbal

EngineerInfo

Verbal

Reverse Engineering

InfoVerbal

Science, Technology and Market

Science

Technology

Market

TechnologyPush

MarketPull

NormalScience

Blockage

TechnologyPull

Science

MarketPull

Technology

Migration

Physics to Electronics (WW II)Nuclear Physics to Nuclear Eng. (‘50s & ‘60s)Biology to Bio Engineering (’90s & ’00s)?

Internal Problems

• There are boundaries inside the organization that can cause as much difficulty (sometimes more) as the external boundary:– Product Development Marketing.– Product Development Manufacturing

Engineering.– Etc.

Interfunctional Communication

Product Development ManufacturingEngineering

An Experiment

• Recorded CAD functions used by gas turbine designers.– Sampled on random days about once per

week for several months.• Outcome Measure:

– Number of Engineering Changes (ECs) processed following transfer of design to manufacturing.

Computer Aided Design and Inter-functional Communication

• CAD can be implemented on at least three levels:– An investment in physical capital.

• An automation of the traditional drafting process.

– As an investment in human capital.• Extending the ability of the designer.

– As an investment in social capital.• As a means for communication and other

exchange.

An Experiment

• Instrumented the terminals of gas turbine blade designers.– On randomly chosen days, recorded all of

the functions used that day.• Functions categorized according to categories

listed on preceding slide.– Output measure

• Number of Engineering Changes that had to be processed following transfer to Manufacturing.

Performance in Transferring Designs to Manufacturing as a Function of CAD System Use for Communication

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4

Low

High

Qua

lity

of T

rans

fer

(Few

er E

Cs)

Mean Number of Communications per Day(Through CAD System)

p < 0.02

Using a Common Reference to Reduce Ambiguity in Communication

Product Development Manufacturing Engineering

Figure by MIT OCW.

Partial Layout of the BMW Forschung und Ingenieurung Zentrum

ManufacturingEngineering

ProductDevelopment Prototype

Movement of People

• More may happen as a result of a transfer than is immediately obvious.

The Effect of Transfers

A B

N1

Continuing Relations

N1

A B

Potential Contacts

More Continuing Relations

N1 N2

A B

Potential Contacts

Referrals

N1 N2

A BReferrals

A Typical Technical Communication Network

Figure by MIT OCW.

Communication Network in a Small Laboratory

13

12 14

7 6

8

222

5 18

174

15 29

33

1630

21 19 25 24

23 34

20 1

11 10

9

35

27

283

31

32

26

36

Figure by MIT OCW.

High Communicators Compared with Colleagues in Readership of Refereed Journals

Laboratory 'A'Laboratory 'G'

Laboratory 'E'Laboratory 'L'Laboratory 'M'

Laboratory 'H'Laboratory 'S'Laboratory 'T'

Laboratory 'U'Laboratory 'V'

0 5 10 15 20Mean Journal Readership

High CommunicatorsAll Other Staff

p < 0.001

p < 0.02

p < 0.01

p < 0.05

p < 0.05

p < 0.01

p < 0.01

p < 0.01

p < 0.01

N.S.

High Communicators Compared with Colleagues in Terms of Regular Informal Contact Outside of the Organization

Laboratory 'A'

Laboratory 'G'

Laboratory 'E'

Laboratory 'L'

Laboratory 'M'

Laboratory 'H'

Laboratory 'F'

0 1 2 3 4 5 6Mean Number of Contacts

High CommunicatorsAll Other Staff

p < 0.05

p < 0.05

p < 0.05

p < 0.01

p < 0.01

p < 0.01

p < 0.001

The Gatekeeper as a Link to Outside Technology

X XX

XX

Literature

Outside Experts

Gatekeeper