If you are a scientist who works remotely, you may want to reconsider your work arrangements. A new study has found that remote collaboration reduces the likelihood of generating disruptive ideas, compared to on-site collaboration.

What is a disruptive idea?

A disruptive idea is an idea that challenges the existing paradigms and opens up new possibilities for research and innovation. Disruptive ideas are often the source of scientific breakthroughs and technological revolutions.

How did the study measure disruptiveness?

The study, conducted by researchers from Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, analyzed 20 million scientific papers and 4 million patents published over 50 years. They used citation patterns and author contributions to measure the disruptiveness and origin of ideas.

Citation patterns indicate how influential an idea is in the scientific community. An idea is considered disruptive if it receives a lot of citations from papers in different fields, indicating that it has cross-disciplinary impact.

Author contributions indicate how collaborative an idea is in its development. An idea is considered remote if it involves authors from different locations, indicating that they worked together online or by phone.

What did the study find?

The study found that remote teams tend to develop existing ideas, while on-site teams tend to create new ones. Remote teams are more likely to cite papers from their own field, indicating that they are building on previous knowledge. On-site teams are more likely to cite papers from different fields, indicating that they are exploring new domains.

The study also found that less established researchers, such as graduate students and postdocs, are more involved in idea generation when they are on-site. Remote work may limit their opportunities to interact with senior researchers and learn from their expertise.

What are the implications of the study?

The study suggests that remote work may have a negative impact on scientific creativity and innovation. Remote work may reduce the diversity of perspectives and inputs that are essential for generating disruptive ideas. Remote work may also hinder the career development and mentoring of young researchers who aspire to become innovators.

The study calls for more attention to the design and management of remote collaboration platforms and practices. The study also recommends that scientists balance remote work with occasional on-site meetings and visits, to foster a culture of creativity and exchange.