Industrial Research 



117 



thinking, planning and observation so that maxiniuni iiifdrniation 

 is obtained from pach experiment. 



Essentials and nonessentials.— In doing sciciit ilic woik 

 in industry there is frequently a temptation to spend 

 more time than is necessary on certain features of the 

 work. This may be because the subject matter of this 

 portion of the work appeals to the worker or because 

 facilities or ])revious experience are avaihihle. Here 

 again a i)roper appreciation of tlie objective will serve 

 as a guard against this type of inefBcient planning. 



E.xperiments should be so planned that the results will 

 be, as far as possible, unequivocal. 



In plaiuiing research work there slioukl i)e du(> 

 appreciation of the relationship of the cost of the work 

 to its ultimate value. The cost of planning work is 

 generally small compared with the cost of doing it, and 

 it may pay to spend considenible time in carefvd jilan- 

 ning. In most cases progress is made by consecutive 

 steps, that is to say, one set of experimeiits will lead to 

 one conclusion and further work will be based on this 

 conclusion. Expense will be reduced if work is laid out 

 so the experiments will be carried out in logical order. 



Execution. — While it is not possible, of course, in a 

 report of this sort to make any detailed suggestions 

 regarding the execution of research work, a few points 

 warrant mention. 



One of the problems that frequently faces the indus- 

 trial research worker is that of suitable apparatus. In 

 many cases the standard forms of apparatus are not 

 suited to the work, and special apparatus has to be pro- 

 vided. Means of secm'ing this differ with the organi- 

 zation, but it is true that in many cases considerable 

 time may be required. The extent of refinement de- 

 manded should be in proportion to the needs of the 

 case. If the first experiments are of a preliminary 

 nature the research worker may find that by canvass- 

 ing the available facilities of the establishment, discuss- 

 ing the matter with his fellow workers, and using his 

 own ingenuity he can secure equipment adequate for 

 the immediate purpose with comparatively little effort. 

 Important developments have often been started with 

 makeshift apparatus. Another suggestion is that full- 

 est use should be made of related information. This 

 has been emphasized previously in connection with the 

 acquisition of experience. 



Future of the Research Worker 



In most research organizations it is felt that a career 

 is offered in the organization itself for the right kind 

 of man. Experience in a research organization may 

 also give a man a training that will qualify him for 

 positions involving great responsibility in other parts 

 of the company. Frequently men are transferred from 

 the central research organization to positions in the 

 operating and sales departments. Whether or not this 



occurs depends on tlu; ((iialidc!) lions and i)rcfercnces of 

 the individunl. 



There is a growing tendency in some industries to fill 

 positions in other departments with men of research 

 training. This is particularly true of industries built 

 on research, and whose products are used by other in- 

 dustries. 



Compensations of the Research Worker 



Industrial research offers to the properly qualified 

 man an opportiniity to make a good living. Although 

 accurate and complete data on financial compensation 

 are not available, it is believed that, on the average, 

 scientific men in industry fare as well in this respect as 

 men of comparable age, experience, and ability in other 

 industrial activities. This statement is made with some 

 reservation owing to the great differences which exist, 

 especially between industries. On this point one lab- 

 oratory reports: "Our salaries in this laboratory run 5 to 

 10 percent above those in our engineering dei)artment 

 for men with corresponding training and experience." 



A chemist or engineer is rarely required to serve a 

 low-paid apprenticeship comparable with that required 

 of a doctor or lawyer. 



It would be difficult to make any definite quantita- 

 tive comparison, as to financial compensation, between 

 industrial research and other activities. After the 

 initial start, compensation is a highl3' individualistic 

 affair.' One survey of a number of laboratories led to 

 the conclusion that — 



so far as tliis particular group of laboratories is concerned, any- 

 thing even approacliing a common ground of agreement as to 

 the market value of any particular type of research work, any 

 particular educational background or any particular amount of 

 experience, skill or qualities of character, simply does not seem 

 to exist. 



This is probably because research itself is an indivitlual- 

 istic affair, and the usefulness of an individual to an 

 organization cannot be expressed in terms of any simple 

 standards, such as age or experience, applicable to a 

 large group of individuals. 



One research director points out that there is a lower 

 tm-n-over of research workers than of men in other 

 business activities. Although quantitative data are 

 not available, it is certainly to the interest of all that 

 this should be procured. 



In addition to financial compensation, there are a 

 number of other compensations derived from a career 

 in industrial research which are frequently overlooked. 

 One of these is the satisfaction a man derives from his 

 vocation. A man who possesses the creative urge and 

 scientific curiosity to a high degree, and this has been 

 characteristic of the great men of science, will probably 

 be happier in scientific work than in any other activity. 



I From a report of the Industrial Research Institute. 



