Does the diversity of engineers' work experiences enhance creative outcomes?

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K03945
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Management
• Research Institution: The University of Kitakyushu
• Principal Investigator: Tottoribe Maki 北九州市立大学, 大学院マネジメント研究科, 教授 (80454396)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 人的資源管理 / キャリア / 人材育成 / 創造性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the diversity of engineers' work experiences enhances their creative outcomes. The results of a web-based survey of 400 engineers revealed that (1) 80% of the engineers had some kind of diverse experience, (2) the creative outcomes of engineers with diverse experience were significantly higher than those of engineers without diverse experience, and (3) among the nine types of diverse experience, the experience that significantly influenced the creative outcomes of engineers was the job rotation experience between elemental technology and overall design. In other words, for engineers who creatively develop products, it is important for them to experience both the development of the elemental technologies that make up the product and the conception and design of the product as a whole.

Free Research Field

人的資源管理

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、従来、学術面からのアプローチが不十分であった技術者の多様な仕事経験と創造的成果との関係に関して、定量的な調査分析を行うことで、多様な経験を持つ技術者のほうが創造的成果が高まる可能性があることや、経験のなかでも要素技術と全体設計とのジョブ・ローテーション経験が有用な可能性があることを明らかにした意義がある。また、この関係を、企業での技術者のキャリアマネジメント・人材育成に応用することで、技術者の創造的成果を実際に高める効果が期待できるという社会的意義がある。