Author: Kazuyo Suzuki
Affiliation: Diverse STEM Workforce Engagement Research Committee: Investigation of Qualitative Changes in the Academia and Industry Derived by Participation of Women Researchers and Engineers, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)
Country: Japan
Co-Author(s): Keiko Nishikawa, Manabu Tsujimura, Kazuko Uno, Masako Bando, Yukiko Kinoshita, Miwako Masugi-Tokita, Eri Muso, Asai Ayumi, Emiko Miyaoka, Yosuke Onoue, Akiko Koito, Maki Koyama, Kozo Fujii, Yasuko Koumoto, Akiko Sugiura, Maki Saito, Sakie Suzuki, Yukio Ohsawa, Masao Takagaki, Liulan Kanda-Wang, Sae Kondo, Masayo Aihara, Chisa Enomoto, Masatsugu Shimono, Megumi Tsukamoto, Fujiyo Ishiguro, Hiroshi Shimokawa, Mikiko Uchigashima, Shoko Shimokawa, Mayumi Fukuyama, Nobuyuki Osakabe
Affiliations: Same as author
Country: Japan
Title: Qualitative interview of women in research and development to clarify universal factors which induce “inclusive innovation”
One of the truisms widely accepted today is that diversity induces innovation. The 5th Science and Technology Basic Plan endorsed by Japanese government’s cabinet decision provides an index on the ratio of female researchers to be employed as a measure toward strengthening the foundational capacity of Japan’s prowess in science and technology innovation [1]. This, however, immediately invited the criticism that the efficacy of merely setting numerical goals is questionable. The representation of women in Japan’s research communities remains significantly lower than those of the other leading nations [2]. Transparent evaluation criteria and processes need to be established to complement such numerical goals. Various scattered role models for researchers and engineers (gender identity and biological sex: female) can be seen as representative contributors to innovations. This committee aims to index (make visible) universal factors among these role model cases to bridge their existences into innovations by a qualitative research method. Consequently, we will provide basic guidelines for establishing a multi-angular system that leverages the capabilities of diverse researchers and engineers engaged in the industrial and academic domains and for promoting positive action toward establishing a transparent system of evaluation.
Diverse STEM Workforce Engagement Research Committee funded by the JSPS, is one of the committees to research the specialized areas to promote academia-industry linkage and cooperation [3]. We are comprised of 32 members including 25 women of researchers, engineers, and company executives. We have, so far, conducted qualitative interviews for 4 representative contributors to “inclusive innovations,” namely, innovations which benefit our society and help to create a better future. We investigated the following seven main factors (individual and socioenvironmental): 1) general attitudes towards research; 2) networking and multidisciplinarity; 3) appreciation of openness to experience; 4) possessing high motivation; 5) psychological safety; 6) leadership equipped with the ability to discern potentials or being mekiki (connoisseur); and 7) coherency between aim and methods. In our presentation, we would like to suggest a new assessment tool about above 7 factors, derived from rubric methodology to make the best use of diverse researchers and engineers to richly yield inclusive innovation.
References:
[1] Government of Japan. The 5th Science and Technology Basic Plan. January 22, 2016. https://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/english/basic/5thbasicplan.pdf
[2] Elsevier, B.V. Gender in the Global Research Landscape, Spans 20 Years, 12 Geographies, and 27 Disciplines. 2017. https://www.elsevier.com/research-intelligence/campaigns/gender-17
[3] Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. University-Industry Research Cooperation Societally Applied Scientific Linkage and Collaboration in the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-soc/index.html