Assuring both quality and creativity in basic research

Conference · Thu Apr 12 04:00:00 EDT 1990

OSTI ID:6745459

Bodnarczuk, M

How does one assure that both quality and creativity are obtained in basic research environments QA theoreticians have attempted to develop workable definitions of quality, but in more reflective moments, these definitions often fail to capture the deeper essence of the idea of quality.'' This paper asserts that creativity (as a product of the human mind) is a concrete interface between perfunctory definitions of quality (conformance to specifications) and more philosophical speculations about the nature of quality- related ultimates'' like elegance or beauty. In addition, we describe the distinction between creative ideas and creative acts and highlight one of the major inhibitors of creativity, fear. Finally we show that highly creative people often have an irreverent attitude toward boundaries and established authority, and discuss how one can allow for this when designing a QA program in a basic research environment.

• Research Organization: Fermi National Accelerator Lab., Batavia, IL (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/ER
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH03000
• OSTI ID: 6745459
• Report Number(s): FNAL/C-90/65; CONF-9009153--1; ON: DE90011489
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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