The Michigan Daily-Friday, March 12, 1982-Page 9
'U' scientist studies
research
As the University seeks to im-
prove its research environment and
to expand its interaction with in-
dustry, social psychologist Donald
Pelz says that studies he conducted
15 years ago on the productivity of
.researchers haven't lost their
usefulness.
Pelz, a director and research
scientist at the University's Institute
for Social Research, studied 1,300
scientists and engineers in 11 resear-
th and development organizations.
'He and his colleagues looked at
basic and applied research in in-
Vdustrial, governmental, and univer-
sity settings. The conclusions they
reached are summarized below:
On the "ivory tower" and the "real
world:" Pelz explained there are five
types of research and development ac-
tivities: basic research (discovering
general principles); applied research
.(inding answers to specific questions);
.vention of new products or processes;
jmprovement of existing products or
.processes; and technical services *for
colleagues.
According to Pelz, the most effective
scientists did not limit themselves to
,either pure science or pure application,
but devoted time to both.
"We found that even in basic resear-
ch laboratories the most effective
scientists did not concentrate on only
one or two of these five research and
development activities, but gave some
attention to as many as four," the ISR
program director stated.
On the individual and the
,organization: Pelz found that the most
productive scientists interacted with
their peers several times a week, or
daily. "They regularly conferred with
several colleagues in their own section,
and often with 10 or more elsewhere in
the organization.s
While stressing the scientist's "need
ivironment
for autonomy," Pelz said highly
autonomous individuals actually ex-
perienced less stimulatin in loosely
coordinated departments.
"They withdrew from contact with
colleagues; they specialized in narrow
areas; they even became less in-
terested in their work. In these settings,
maximum autonomy was accompanied
by minimum challenge."
The more demanding organizations
with "moderately tight" coordination
actually produced a greater "creative
tension" conducive to the work of
autonomous persons, he said.
On rewarding the researchers: "Ef-
fective scientists were not motivated by
the desire for material rewards," ac-
cording to Pelz. If a university wants to
promote good research, it must offer
suitable pay increases or promotion, he
explained. But it cannot hope to
stimulate achievement by holding out
the promise of higher pay."
"To put it another way, the absence
of material rewards can undermine the
motivation to achieve. But provision of
such rewards cannot supply this incen-
tive. It must come from challenge
inherent in the work itself."
On the stimulation of young faculty
members; Department chairpersons
should encourage early publication for
young Ph.D.s, according to Pelz. "The
best performance (of faculty) was
found among men who spent about
three-quarters of their time on
technical work (research or develop-
ment) and one-quarter of their time on
either teaching or administration,"
Pelz claimed.
A new instructor who is told to spend
75 percent of his or her time on teaching
and 25 percent on research "is not
likely to achieve research output very
soon," he said.
ss . - John Adam
A PUBLIC LECTURE
Dr. Jerome Wiesner,
M.I.T. Institute Professor and the Wolgreen Professor of Human Understanding
will speak on
THE FREEZE: A SURE WAY TO HALT
THE NUCLEAR ARMS RACE
Monday, March 15, 4-5:30 p.m.
Aud. C, Angell Hall
Faculty Round Table and Discussion
Tuesday, March 16, 4-5:30 p.m. - Aud. C, Angell Hall
Widest choice of programs --
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Daily Photo by BRIAN MASCK
PSYCHOLOGIST DONALD PELZ, program director and research scientist
at the University's Institute for Social Research, speaks about his study to
determine what the optimal research environment would be.
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I1
stairing
Miller High Life"
'The price was right,' even
for residents of Ann Arbor
(Continued from Page 1)
fragrances, and - of course - many
other "consolation prizes."
'DEADMAN says she's happy with
her prizes - even though she can't
wear much of what was sent to her from
a boutique.
"I asked them to send me dark pants
and a light top, and generally conser-
Vative clothes. I got light pants and a
dark top. I also got an outrageous
evening dress that looks like it should
be for a forty-year-old. I can't wear any
of it,"she says.
Deadman says she didn't know until
the last minute that she would be on the
show.
"I WAS SO nervous," she said. "I
had absolutely no idea when or if I was
going to beon. I just auditioned and.
'auditioned, and auditioned. I- even
forgot to tell them that I sing and dan-
University senior Ruth Kaufman,
won $2,000 for the University and about
$5,500 in cash and prizes in a special
college tournament on "The Joker's
Wild."
Kaufman answered a newspaper ad-
vertisement placed by the Student Of-
fice of Activities and Programming,
and was selected from a group of about
x4125 students. She was interviewed and
,osen over Thanksgiving, the show
Awas filmed in December, and it was
wired over mid-winter break.
HER PRIZES included a video-
.assette recorder, a reel-to-reel tape
ecorder, her choice of $500 in mer-
chandise from a catalogue, and four
$F
On your C
$100 consolation prizes. The money for
the school will go to Student Program-
ming.
She has not received her prizes yet,
but she says she's sure that she will be
able to use all of them. She says that
the taxes she will have to pay "should not
be too bad."
Scott Harrington, a University
freshman, won a Replicar valued at
$7,000 in a Children's Zoo raffle in
Akron, Ohio, last summer. The car is a
fiberglass two-seater, built from a Kit,
but it was assembled before he received
it. He says it is a "great looking car,"
but it is "for sale, if anyone wants to
buy it."
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