Study: ‘Exploring’ inventors thrive in workplaces with open communications

TAMPA, Fla. (Oct. 12, 2022) – A new organizational design study from researchers at the University of South Florida sheds light on the ideal work environment inventors need in order to succeed and thrive when they venture into new knowledge domains.

The study revealed that “explorers” – inventors who go outside their area of expertise whether in technologies, disciplines or industries – are most productive working in organizations that support cross-company communications versus a top-down, hierarchical approach.

This kind of decompartmentalized communication creates a more nurturing environment in which inventors know their inventions are valued and where there is more cross-unit project collaboration and greater managerial support as they work on something new, according to the study.

“Our research deepens our understanding on the roles that explorers play in innovation,” said Lin Jiang, an assistant professor of entrepreneurship at the USF Muma College of Business. “The research also helps us understand what is the desirable work environment that we should provide for explorers to succeed.”

Jiang’s co-authored article, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166497222001584 was published online in August in Technovation, an interdisciplinary journal on technological innovation.

Other major takeaways include:

• Exploring new domains doesn’t help inventors increase the quantity or quality of patents unless they work for an organization that decompartmentalizes internal communication.
   
• Research and development employees who explore other domains are most successful in organizations that encourage and facilitate openness in internal communication. The two-way communication nurtures cross-unit interactions, meetings, collaborations and managerial feedback.

Researchers surveyed 2,331 U.S.-based inventors in 2013. With an effective response rate of 16.5 percent, the study’s final analysis was based on 321 inventors from 231 companies.

The study’s co-authors also included Brent Clark from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Daniel Turban from the University of Missouri.

About the University of South Florida

The University of South Florida, a high-impact global research university dedicated to student success, generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. Over the past 10 years, no other public university in the country has risen faster in U.S. News and World Report’s national university rankings than USF. Serving more than 50,000 students on campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee, USF is designated as a Preeminent State Research University by the Florida Board of Governors, placing it in the most elite category among the state’s 12 public universities. USF has earned widespread national recognition for its success graduating under-represented minority and limited-income students at rates equal to or higher than white and higher income students. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.