HRD in Creative Organisations

50 Thereafter, the direction and pace of research in the selected projects may be closely monitored by one of its Sub-Committees. ii) Once a basic technological invention/innovation occurs, further research should be focused on generic technology systems and subsystems, production processes, and the scientific phenomena underlying these systems and processes. For example, Research can be focused on one or more of the following aspects of technology system, and the scientific phenomena underlying them: Improved system boundary Improved components Improved connections (relations) between components Improved raw materials, subassemblies Improved sources of power and energy generated Improved system control, etc.

Obviously, such a detailed research will be complex & costly.

Moreso, a wrong decision concerning any of these aspects can spell the difference between success and failure; the following instances will prove this point: a) Although the American Manhattan Project and the German Army Ordnance’s project for creating a nuclear fission (sustained chain reaction) reactor were conceived at about the same time, yet it was the Americans who achieved success earlier (US reactor went critical in the year 1942) -- this difference lay in choosing purified graphite as a moderator by the Americans (rather than the heavy water selected by the Germans due to constraints of finance, and its assured supplies). It is pertinent to mention here that nuclear fission was first discovered by the German scientists (Hahn, Meisner, Frisch et al) yet the Germans failed to be the first in transforming this discovery into a technology-application. b) It was a US Naval project, under Rickover’s leadership, that first utilised the nuclear fission technology to create the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine -- this project used pressurized light water as the moderator, instead of graphite or heavy water.