Analysis of trial and error mindset of corporate R&D personnel and its relationship to organizational factors

The aim of this paper is to reveal the behavior and way of thinking of corporate R&D personnel when they break through a difficult problem and achieve an invention or discovery, and examine the relationship to organizational factors including the creative climate. We constructed a model of trial and error behavior and distributed a questionnaire on invention and discovery activities to 706 corporate R&D personnel who had received awards from leading Japanese science academies. The results of qualitative data analysis indicated that high-achieving corporate researchers had three mindsets of trial and error behavior including an Idea exploration oriented mind. The creative climate and other organizational factors did not have a significant impact on R&D personnel's Idea exploration oriented mind. Our findings will contribute to R&D management in the area of invention and discovery.