Understanding the Discrepancy Between Business and Research in the Mr. Kanai Series
In the fields of industry and academia, there is often a lack of mutual respect due to differing perceptions of what constitutes achievement. To address this issue, a somewhat forceful approach of acting as an interpreter between the two realms has been considered.
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As stated by Mr. Kanai in a tweet, he mentions the difference in how researchers and business individuals perceive the statement “being able to write a paper.” While researchers see it as a significant accomplishment, those not involved in research may not value it as much. From a business perspective, publishing a paper is likened to delivering a satisfactory product to a client, similar to what consultants or system integrators do. Researchers who fail to publish papers are perceived as not delivering results, which can hinder their ability to secure research funding and survive in their field. The pressure to deliver in research is akin to the pressure in business, and achieving the ability to write a paper signifies a breakthrough in this challenging situation.
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However, the statement “being able to write a paper” is not equivalent to revenue in the general society. It is sometimes misunderstood as a self-indulgent pursuit far from social implementation. Researchers, like small and medium-sized enterprises, rely on the publication of papers for continuity. Hence, publishing papers shares similarities with achieving results in business.
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Furthermore, considerations such as the impact factor of a paper may seem insignificant to outsiders but are comparable to the scale of projects (revenue) for researchers. Subjectively, getting published in top-tier journals can feel like landing a multi-million-dollar project, while mid-tier publications equate to projects worth millions, and lower-level publications feel like projects worth hundreds of thousands.
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Additionally, the increase in citations of a paper is likened to the scalability of a business.
In another tweet, Mr. Kanai highlights the importance for researchers to recognize that there are individuals in the workforce who deliver significantly more in terms of impact than many researchers when translated into the realm of academic papers. There are many remarkable individuals outside academia whose contributions may not be recognized solely based on publications.