5. TAKING RISKS
Doing interdisciplinary research early in his career is one example of the kind of risks that Bernard has taken. In some cases, the research paid off. For instance, one project he led on groupware usage in cross-cultural settings yielded several major publications. Some others take a much longer time to yield. For instance, a project on global virtual teams produced papers that no journal wanted to publish, as the technology then was not yet well developed. Never allowing slow yield to make him risk-averse, Bernard views such work as being ahead of its time. His approach, if he is confident of the quality of such papers, is to persevere until circumstances are more welcoming of them. Although Bernard has taken many calculated risks in his own career, he does not advocate taking risks without properly considering one’s strengths, resources, and weaknesses. While it is important to be idealistic about attaining lofty goals, one should not completely ignore real barriers and obstacles to success, particularly personal limitations. Specifically, he cautions younger academics against jumping into things with both eyes closed. They should make an effort to understand fully their own ‘risk profile’. Today, Assistant Professors feel pressured to publish in journals listed in the top tier. The risks, of course, are higher and they may end up with no publications at all. Their departments may be happier if they could at least have some work published in journals of the second tier. What academics choose to do should also depend on their risk profile.
Reflection 36: What is your risk profile? How has it informed the choices you have made in planning your research agenda and targeting journals for publication outcomes?
Bernard’s fun-loving and relaxed personality, fairly obvious in his own description of his formative years at school, may be one reason why he is more of a risk-taker today. He is happy to take untrodden paths out of a sense of fun and adventure, and is less likely to be hung up about failure. In NUS, he sees several others who are also risk-takers and feels that NUS should encourage risk-taking among those who are prepared for it. He recalls how many of the professors he encountered at Stanford University differed from many of his NUS colleagues in the way they focused on what they could do instead of what they could not.
Reflection 37: Do you agree with this characterization of academics at NUS?
In general, of course, there is no such thing as a perfect academic environment. One should always capitalize on the opportunities offered by the system and work creatively within the constraints imposed by it. But faculty should at least be able to trust that the NUS system will not penalize them for trying new or different things. Faculty should be encouraged to manage failure, which is really a learning opportunity that should not be wasted. In such a culture, optimism and risk-taking can be promoted.
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