‘Gold’, ‘Ribbon’ or ‘Puzzle’: What motivates researchers to work in Research and Technology Organizations

Arho Suominen; Henni Kauppinen; Kirsi Hyytinen

doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120882

‘Gold’, ‘Ribbon’ or ‘Puzzle’: What motivates researchers to work in Research and Technology Organizations

Arho Suominen^*
, Henni Kauppinen
, Kirsi Hyytinen

^*Tämän työn vastaava kirjoittaja

Tuotantotalous

Tutkimustuotos: Artikkeli › Tieteellinen › vertaisarvioitu

19 Sitaatiot (Scopus)

33 Lataukset (Pure)

Abstrakti

This paper employs the motivational trichotomy of financial rewards, reputational rewards, and intrinsic satisfaction (gold, ribbon, and puzzle) to analyze the role of motivation in the context of research and technology organizations. This research is based on a case study that used an online questionnaire survey of 421 scientists from a large multi-technology Research and Technology Organization. The paper draws from previous work on scientists’ orientations toward outcomes and exploitation of research results and finds that the typology of motivational schemes differ. In the study's context, our analysis did not find advancing academic research to be the main motivator, but rather being able to exploit results. However, within the exploitation mode, the results show that all four factors, gold, challenge, engineering, and basic research, motivate researchers’ activities. The study highlights the Research and Technology Organizations’ differences compared to universities. The findings also suggest that the role of grand societal challenges is emerging as a distinct motivator, aside from a basic research-oriented advancement of science.

Alkuperäiskieli	Englanti
Artikkeli	120882
Sivumäärä	10
Julkaisu	Technological Forecasting and Social Change
Vuosikerta	170
DOI - pysyväislinkit	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120882
Tila	Julkaistu - syysk. 2021
OKM-julkaisutyyppi	A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä

Rahoitus

Dr. Arho Suominen , Ph.D., is a principal scientist at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and an Industry professor at Tampere University (Finland). Dr. Suominen’s research focuses on qualitative and quantitative assessment of innovation systems with a special focus on quantitative methods. His prior research has been funded by the European Commission via H2020, the Academy of Finland, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology, the Turku University Foundation and the Fulbright Finland Foundation. Through the Fulbright program, Dr. Suominen worked as a visiting scholar for the School of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Suominen has a Doctor of Science (Tech.) degree from the University of Turku and holds an Officers basic degree from the National Defence University of Finland.

Julkaisufoorumi-taso

Jufo-taso 3

!!ASJC Scopus subject areas

Business and International Management
Applied Psychology
Management of Technology and Innovation

Pääsy asiakirjaan

10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120882Lisenssi: CC BY

‘Gold’, ‘Ribbon’ or ‘Puzzle’
CC BY
Final published version, 656 KBLisenssi: CC BY

http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202106216000Lisenssi: CC BY

Siteeraa tätä

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title = "{\textquoteleft}Gold{\textquoteright}, {\textquoteleft}Ribbon{\textquoteright} or {\textquoteleft}Puzzle{\textquoteright}: What motivates researchers to work in Research and Technology Organizations",

abstract = "This paper employs the motivational trichotomy of financial rewards, reputational rewards, and intrinsic satisfaction (gold, ribbon, and puzzle) to analyze the role of motivation in the context of research and technology organizations. This research is based on a case study that used an online questionnaire survey of 421 scientists from a large multi-technology Research and Technology Organization. The paper draws from previous work on scientists{\textquoteright} orientations toward outcomes and exploitation of research results and finds that the typology of motivational schemes differ. In the study's context, our analysis did not find advancing academic research to be the main motivator, but rather being able to exploit results. However, within the exploitation mode, the results show that all four factors, gold, challenge, engineering, and basic research, motivate researchers{\textquoteright} activities. The study highlights the Research and Technology Organizations{\textquoteright} differences compared to universities. The findings also suggest that the role of grand societal challenges is emerging as a distinct motivator, aside from a basic research-oriented advancement of science.",

keywords = "Knowledge transfer, Research and Technology Organizations, Research motivation, Self-determination theory",

author = "Arho Suominen and Henni Kauppinen and Kirsi Hyytinen",

note = "Funding Information: Dr. Arho Suominen , Ph.D., is a principal scientist at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and an Industry professor at Tampere University (Finland). Dr. Suominen{\textquoteright}s research focuses on qualitative and quantitative assessment of innovation systems with a special focus on quantitative methods. His prior research has been funded by the European Commission via H2020, the Academy of Finland, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology, the Turku University Foundation and the Fulbright Finland Foundation. Through the Fulbright program, Dr. Suominen worked as a visiting scholar for the School of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Suominen has a Doctor of Science (Tech.) degree from the University of Turku and holds an Officers basic degree from the National Defence University of Finland. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 The Author(s)",

year = "2021",

month = sep,

doi = "10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120882",

language = "English",

volume = "170",

journal = "Technological Forecasting and Social Change",

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T1 - ‘Gold’, ‘Ribbon’ or ‘Puzzle’

T2 - What motivates researchers to work in Research and Technology Organizations

AU - Suominen, Arho

AU - Kauppinen, Henni

AU - Hyytinen, Kirsi

N1 - Funding Information: Dr. Arho Suominen , Ph.D., is a principal scientist at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and an Industry professor at Tampere University (Finland). Dr. Suominen’s research focuses on qualitative and quantitative assessment of innovation systems with a special focus on quantitative methods. His prior research has been funded by the European Commission via H2020, the Academy of Finland, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology, the Turku University Foundation and the Fulbright Finland Foundation. Through the Fulbright program, Dr. Suominen worked as a visiting scholar for the School of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Suominen has a Doctor of Science (Tech.) degree from the University of Turku and holds an Officers basic degree from the National Defence University of Finland. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s)

PY - 2021/9

Y1 - 2021/9

N2 - This paper employs the motivational trichotomy of financial rewards, reputational rewards, and intrinsic satisfaction (gold, ribbon, and puzzle) to analyze the role of motivation in the context of research and technology organizations. This research is based on a case study that used an online questionnaire survey of 421 scientists from a large multi-technology Research and Technology Organization. The paper draws from previous work on scientists’ orientations toward outcomes and exploitation of research results and finds that the typology of motivational schemes differ. In the study's context, our analysis did not find advancing academic research to be the main motivator, but rather being able to exploit results. However, within the exploitation mode, the results show that all four factors, gold, challenge, engineering, and basic research, motivate researchers’ activities. The study highlights the Research and Technology Organizations’ differences compared to universities. The findings also suggest that the role of grand societal challenges is emerging as a distinct motivator, aside from a basic research-oriented advancement of science.

AB - This paper employs the motivational trichotomy of financial rewards, reputational rewards, and intrinsic satisfaction (gold, ribbon, and puzzle) to analyze the role of motivation in the context of research and technology organizations. This research is based on a case study that used an online questionnaire survey of 421 scientists from a large multi-technology Research and Technology Organization. The paper draws from previous work on scientists’ orientations toward outcomes and exploitation of research results and finds that the typology of motivational schemes differ. In the study's context, our analysis did not find advancing academic research to be the main motivator, but rather being able to exploit results. However, within the exploitation mode, the results show that all four factors, gold, challenge, engineering, and basic research, motivate researchers’ activities. The study highlights the Research and Technology Organizations’ differences compared to universities. The findings also suggest that the role of grand societal challenges is emerging as a distinct motivator, aside from a basic research-oriented advancement of science.

KW - Knowledge transfer

KW - Research and Technology Organizations

KW - Research motivation

KW - Self-determination theory

U2 - 10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120882

DO - 10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120882

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85106589840

SN - 0040-1625

VL - 170

JO - Technological Forecasting and Social Change

JF - Technological Forecasting and Social Change

M1 - 120882

ER -

‘Gold’, ‘Ribbon’ or ‘Puzzle’: What motivates researchers to work in Research and Technology Organizations

Abstrakti

Rahoitus

Julkaisufoorumi-taso

!!ASJC Scopus subject areas

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