The importance of unexpected outcomes: Neal Williams

Some scientific breakthroughs come about after meticulous, objective-oriented laboratory work finally provides the result that the researcher is aiming at.
 
But many discoveries are completely unexpected and often occur as a result of some ‘happy accident’.
 
Then, in the part that isn't an accident, they turn that observation into something useful –applying it in a completely new and unexpected way.
 
There are plenty of examples that have happened over the years. They include the discovery of Penicillin, the microwave, the pacemaker, insulin, super glue and many more.
 
However, as frequent as these examples are, opportunities to transfer technologies from one business area to another are often missed.
 
There are some good reasons for this. In industry, people know what they know and what they do well but they are often reluctant to take on new pieces of technology that have originated from other disciplines and which may take some time to develop.
 
When placed within the context of yearly targets and end of year appraisals, the reason why many shy away from this kind of work becomes quite clear.
 
Of course it is important to have short term objectives. But to secure breakthrough changes, a much longer term vision is needed. This requires a broader approach to scientific research taking into account all of the many technologies that could be important in the near future. It also requires people to look beyond the scope of their own specialist fields working across departments and technical disciplines. This can be done through formal systems such cross company working groups but equally important are the informal ways that people interact.
Networking is a vital part of this and it is going to become more important than ever.
 
For people new in their careers, networking is a good way of learning and picking up new information. It is also an excellent opportunity for those more senior to disseminate their knowledge and train the next generation (acting as a mentor) which in itself is a motivating activity.
 
Electronic media has also made a huge impact over the last 20 to 25 years to the way companies communicate internally across different research and development groups. And this will no doubt continue to develop. Making predictions is always hard but those companies that make best use of these systems will stand to benefit.
 
Ultimately, organisations that are able to achieve an effective cross-departmental dialogue will be best placed to identify opportunities to transfer technologies from one business area to another. As history has shown, it is often these kinds of innovations that can be the real game-changers.
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Neal Williams is the Lead Scientist (Material Science Group) at AkzoNobel