NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) 19940011365: NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Paper 32: A new era in international technical communication: American-Russian collaboration

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by  NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

NASA/DoD Aerospace Knowledge
Diffusion ResearchProject
Paper Thirty Two .-
A NewErain International TechnicalCommunication:
American-Russian_Collaboration
PaperPresentedatthe
International ProfessionalCommunication Conference(IPCC)
Philadelphia,Pennsylvania . _...
October5-8, 1993 .............
MadelynFlammia
Universityof CentralFlorida NASA-TM-10933169940011365
Orlando,Florida .
RebeccaO: Barclay
RensselaerPolytechnicInstitute
Troy,New York
-ThomasE.Pinelli
NASALangleyResearchCenter
Hampton,Virginia
" MichaelL.Keene
Universityof Tennessee
Knoxville,Tennessee
RobertH.Burger
Universityof Illinoisat Urbana-Champaign
" Urbana,Illinois -
John M. Kennedy
IndianaUniversity
_
Bloomington,Indiana
NI A
NationalAeronautics andSpaceAdministration
o _
Department of Defense
INDIANA UNIVERSITY
y-
o
o
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Session17--International data collection and reportin_ 217
A New Erain InternationalTechnicalCommunication:
American-RussianCollaboration
MadelynFlammia EnglishDepartment
RebeccOa. Barclay UniversityofCentralFlorida
ThomasE.Pinelli Orlando,FL32816
MichaelL.Keene
RobertH.Burger
JohnM. Kenn_ly
[phone]
Until the recentdissolutionof the Soviet Union, the Communist Party exerteda strict
control of accessto and disseminationof scientific and technicalinformation (STD. This
article presents models of the Soviet-style information society and the Western-style
information society and discusses the effectsof centralizedgovernmental.control of
information on Russian technicalcommunication practices.The effectsof political
control on technicalcommunicationare then used to interpretthe results of asurvey of
Russian and U.S. aerospaceengineersandscientists concerningthe time devotedto
technical communication, their collaborativewriting practices and their attitudes
toward collaboration,the kinds of technicaldocuments they produceand use, their
views regarding the appropriatecontent for an undergraduatetechnicalcommunication
course,and their use of computer technology.Finally, the implicationsof thesefindings
for future collaborationbetweenRussian and U.S. engineersand scientists are examined.
Introduction
Until therecent dissolution ofthe SovietUnion, theCommunist Party maintained strict
control over theintranationalandinternationaldisseminationofscientificand
technicalinformation(STI).Russianengineersand scientists worked within ahighly
centralizedpoliticalsystem characterizedby secrecyanddistrust.This system
activelyrestrictedcommunicationbetween Russianengineersandscientistsandtheir
professionalcounterpartsbothathomeandabroad.
Althoughrecent sweeping politicalchangesmayfreeup theflowofSTIwithinthe
formerSovietUnion,itwouldbe amistaketodiscounttheworkingenvironmentthat
hasprevailedinSovietsciencesince1917[Ref.1,p. 148].Informationflowandtheuse
ofproducts,services,andtechnologiesforacquiring,producing,using,anddisseminating
STIhavetraditionallybeen constrainedby governmentpolicies formulatedtomaintain
.' orderandcontrol [Ref.2,p.537].Itwilltaketimebeforetheeffectsofaneasingof
restrictions on the communication of STIare felt by and can influence the practices of
Russianengineersandscientists.
Inaddition to asociopoliticalclimatethathashampered the flow ofSTI,infrastruc-
turalobstaclestofreeandopencommunicationexist,suchasthe poorqualityofRussian
telecommunicationsandsevereshortagesofbasicsupplies.Reports onthecurrentstate
oftheRussianeconomyindicatethatsuchproblemscanonlybe addressedgradually.
Therefore,informationonthesociopoliticalandeconomicclimateover the lastfew
decadesis relevantwhenassessingthetechnicalcommunicationpracticesofengineers
InternationalProfessionalCommunicationConference• 1993
218 Session17BInternational data collection and reportin_
andscientistswhose educationand careershavebeenshapedby thehighlycentralized
characteroftheCommunistParty'srule.
Inordertolearnmoreaboutinternationaltechnicalcommunicationpractices,the
NASA/DoD AerospaceKnowledgeDiffusionResearchProjectisexamininghow
aerospaceengineersandscientistsfindanduseSTI.This4-phaseresearch projectisa
jointeffortoftheIndianaUniversity Centerfor SurveyResearchand theNASA
LangleyResearchCenter.Theprojectisprovidinginformationontheflowofscientific
and technicalinformationat the individual,organizational,national,and
internationallevels thatshouldprove usefultoR&Dmanagers,informationmanagers,
andothersconcernedwithimprovingaccesstoanduseofSTI[3].StudiesforPhase4
havebeenconductedintheUnionofSocialistRepublics(theformerSovietUnion), .
Israel,Japan,andseveralWestern Europeancountriestoexaminetheinformation-
seekingbehaviorsofnon-U.S,aerospaceengineersandscientists.
TheRussianstudyofferstheuniqueopportunity toexaminetheinfluenceofthepast
regimeatatimewhenRussiaisopeninguptointernationalcommunicationandfreer
exchangeofSTI.TheformerSovietUnionisbeginningtoplayagreater roleinthe
internationalscientificcommunity,particularlyintheareaof jointcommercial
ventures[4,42].Forexample,KrunichevEnterprise,theRussianfirmthatdeveloped
theProton launchvehicle,andLockheedMissilesand Space,asubsidiaryofthe
LockheedCorporation,recentlyannouncedajointventure topursueworkinthe
internationalcommercialsatellitemarket[5].The findingsof thisstudy, therefore,
mayhold particularinterestfor the Americanengineers,scientists,and technical
communicatorswhowillfindthemselvesworkingonjointprojectswith theirRussian
counterpartsinthenot-so-distantfuture.
AlthoughconsiderableresearchhasbeendoneonSovietscienceandtechnologypolicy
andeducation,fewstudieshavefocusedcloselyonthetypesofdocumentsusedand
producedbyengineersandscientistsoron thelevelandnatureofcollaborationinvolved
intheproductionofscientificandtechnicaldocuments.Awiderangeofsources,
includingreportsfromemigrescientists,indicatesthattwokey factorshaveinfluenced
Russiantechnicalcommunication:1)severerestrictionsonthedisseminationofSTIand
2)limited computingfacilities.
Inthisarticlewe presentSovietandWestern-styleinformationmodelsanddiscussthe
characteristicsofresearchand development(R&D)in theSovietUniontoprovide a
conceptualframeworkfor understandingthedifferencesbetween technical
communicationpatternsin Russiaand theU.S.WebelievethatSovietcentralized
controlofinformationhasplayed akeyroleshapingthecommunicationbehaviorsof
Russianengineersandscientists.Nextwe examinetheresultsofoursurvey ofRussian
and U.S.aerospaceengineersandscientistsinthelightofwhatwe havelearnedabout
informationcontrolintheformer SovietUnion.Finally,we discusstheimplicationsof
our findingsforfuture Russian-Americancollaborationinscienceandtechnology.
Models of Soviet and western-style communications
InexaminingthenationalpresenceofinformationtechnologiesintheSovietUnionand
theWest,Goodmanpresentscomparativemodelsof"informationsocieties"[6,15].
InformationingeneralandSTIinparticularhasbeenviewed intheSovietUnionas a
meansofachievingcentrallyformulatedgoals thatincludeincreasedindustrial
B
productivity,support ofmilitaryandinternalsecurityneeds,andimproved economic
planningandcontrolmechanisms.ThedrivingforcesbehindSovietgoalshave been
nationallevel politicalprocesses and Westernachievements.The systemicconditions
underlyinginformationproduction,transfer,anduseincludealeadership thatdistrusts
thegeneralpopulation,astrongformofcentralizedplanningandcontrol,government
controlsonaccesstoand disseminationofinformation,andpowerfulnational-level
controlsonsocialchange.Communicationandcomputingcapabilitiesremainmodest
andnarrowlyrelatedtospecific,government-mandatedgoals.
International ProfessionalCommunication Conference • 1993
Session 17mlnternational data collection andreportin_ 219
In the West in general and in the U.S. in particular, information is regarded as
commodity, and information technologies are viewed as part of alarge number of
products, services, and processes tobe distributed throughout society. Driving forces in
the West include push-pull markets, domestic and international competition, and
inherent opportunities for innovations ininformation technologies. Systemic conditions
inthe West support the broad dissemination ofcontrols for economic efficiency, private
activities, and more communications of all kinds. National controls on access to and
dissemination of information in general and STIin particular are relatively weak, and
there is little, if any, national level control of social change. The West exhibits
technological strength andinterest in allareas of communication and computing and
has anear universal user community.
International data collection and reporting
This articlepresentsselectedresultsfromRussianand U.S.studies.Demographicdata,
followedbydatadealing with timespentcommunicatingtechnicalinformation,
collaborativewriting practices,workplaceuseandproductionoftechnical
communicationsa,ppropriatecoursecontentforanundergraduatecourseintechnical
communicationsa,nduseofcomputertechnology,wereexamined.
Giventhelimited purposesofthisexploratorystudy, theoverall responserates,and
theresearchdesigns,noclaimsaremaderegarding theextent to whichtheattributesof
therespondentsin thestudiesaccuratelyreflecttheattributesofthepopulationsbeing
studied.Amuchmorerigorousresearchdesignmethodologywouldbeneededbeforeany
claimscouldbemade.Nevertheless,thefindings ofthestudiesdopermit theformula-
tionof thefollowinggeneralstatementsregardingthetechnicalcommunicationsprac-
ticesoftheaerospaceengineersandscientistswho participatedin thetwo studies:
1. Theability to communicatetechnicalinformation effectivelyisimportant to
RussianandU.S.aerospacescientistsandengineers.
2. AstheRussianandU.S.aerospaceengineersandscientistsin thesestudieshave
advancedprofessionally,theamountoftimetheyspendproducingandworking
with technicalcommunicationshasincreasedfor morethanone-third(38%)ofthe
Russianrespondentsandmorethantwo-thirds(68%)oftheU.S.respondents.
3. TheRussianandU.S.aerospaceengineersandscientistsin thesestudieswrite more
frequently in smallgroupsthan theywrite alone,althoughtheydonotnecessarily
find collaborativewriting more productivethanindividual writing. Bothgroupsof
respondentsfrequentlyproducethesametypesofmaterialswhether theywrite as
membersofagrouporasindividuals.
4. TheU.S.aerospaceengineersandscientistsin thesestudiesmakeuseofpersonal
knowledgeanddiscussionswith colleagueswithin andoutsidetheirorganization
forsolvingtechnicalproblems.However, theRussianrespondentsappeartorelyon
co-workersor peoplewithin theorganizationandliterature resourcesfoundwithin
the organization's library.
5. Approximately 25%oftheRussianand71%oftheU.S.aerospaceengineersand
scientistsin thesestudieshadtakenacoursein technicalcommunications;a
majorityofbothgroupsindicatedthatsuchacoursehadhelpedthemcommunicate
technicalinformation.
' 6. Althoughthepercentagesvary for eachitem, therewasconsiderableagreement
amongtheRussianandU.S.aerospaceengineersandscientistsin thesestudiesre-
gardingtheon-the-jobcommunicationstobeincludedinanundergraduatetechnical
communicationscourseforaerospaceandsciencestudentsandlessagreementonthe
appropriateprinciplesandmechanicsthatshouldbeincludedin suchacourse.
7. Althoughimportant tobothRussianand U.S.aerospaceengineersandscientists,li-
brariesandtechnicalinformation centerswereusedmorebytheRussianrespon-
International ProfessionaCl ommunicationConference• 1993
220 Session17--lnternational datacollection and reportin_
dents.MoreRussianaerospaceengineersandscientistshadalibraryortechnical
informationcenterlocatedin theirbuildingthandid theirU.S.counterparts.
8. MoreU.S.respondentsusedcomputertechnologytopreparetechnicalinformation
thandid theirRussiancounterpartsandalarger percentageof theU.S.than
Russianrespondentsindicatedthatcomputer technologyhadincreasedtheir
abilitytocommunicatetechnicalinformation.
9. U.S.aerospaceengineersandscientistsmadegreateruseofcomputersoftwarethan
did theircounterparts.
10. Thereweresubstantialdifferencesbetweenthetwogroupsintermsoftheinforma-
tiontechnologiespresentlybeingusedandthosethatmightbeused inthefuture.
Implications for furtherresearch
Inthenear futureAmericanengineers,scientists,andtechnicalcommunicatorsmaywell
be facedwiththechallengeofworkinginconjunctionwith theirRussiancounterparts.
Wearelikelyto seecooperativeRussianandU.S.spaceprogramsandjointcommercial
venturesbetween RussianandU.S.aerospacecompanies.Tomaximizetheopportunities
for scientificexchangeandtechnologytransfer,we mustunderstandtheenvironmentof
severelimitationsandsecrecythatourRussiancolleagueshaveworkedinfor solong.
FurtherresearchmustbedoneonthenatureoftechnicalcommunicationinRussiaif
international collaborativeefforts are tosucceed. Specifically,it is important tolearn
moreabouttheinformation-seekingandproducingbehavior ofRussianengineersand
scientists.How aretheircollaborativegroups structured,andhowarerolesassigned?Is
aconcurrentor verticalmodelused forcollaboration?Whyiscollaborativework
believed tobe moreeffective?Becauseofpoliticalandsocialpressures?Orbecauseof
intrinsicaspectsofthe collaborativeexperience?Furtherresearchinthisarea will be
valuableto botheducators andpractitioners.Whattechnicalinformationservicesare
availableto Russianengineers and scientists?Is technicalediting availableand,if so,
whatkindofeditingcycleis used.Weknow thatshortages ofpaperandstrict
limitationson thedisseminationof informationhaveaffectedthereporting of STIin
Russia.BecausetheRussianaerospaceengineersandscientistsinthisstudydo notplace
thesameemphasisonaudienceanalysisthattheirU.S.counterpartsdo,would theybe
likelytomakeadocumentlongeroutofconcernfortheiraudience'sunderstanding?
Russianaerospaceaccomplishmentsarenoteworthy inlightof thepolitical
restrictions,limitedaccesstoSTI,andshortagesofresourcesthatengineersand
scientistshavefaced.Popovsky bemoanedtheloss to theinternationalscientific
communitywhenRussianswere keptfrom fullparticipation[7,114].Westandonthe
brinkofa neweraofinternationaltechnicalcommunicationwhenmanygainswillbe
madefrom freerexchangeofSTI.
References
1. Cooper, Julian M."TheScientificand TechnicalRevolutioninSovietTheory." in
Technologyand CommunistCulture.ed. FrederickJ.Fleron,Jr.Praeger Publishers:
New York,NY,1977.
2. Goodman,SeymourE."TheInformationTechnologiesandSovietSociety:Problems
andProspects." IEEETransactionsonSystems,Man, and Cybernetics.SMC-17(4):
529-552,July/August1987.
3. Pinelli,ThomasE.,Kennedy,JohnM.andRebeccaO.Barclay."TheNASA/DoD
AerospaceKnowledgeDiffusionResearchProject."GovernmentInformation
Quarterly. 8(2):219-34,1991.
4. Graham,LorenR."Towarda New ErainU.S.-SovietRelations."Issuesin Science
and Technology.6(1):36-42,1989.
InternationalProfessionaCl ommunicationConference• 1993
Session17--International data collection andreportin_ 221
5. "TheColdWarReallyIsOver." The Virginian-t_'lot.D8,December29, 1992.
6. Goodman,SeymourE."InformationSocieties."inTheFutureInformation
Revolutionin theUSSR.ed. RichardF.Staar.CraneRussakandCompany:New
York,NY,1988.
7. Popovsky, Mark.ManipulatedScience.Doubleday &Co.,Inc.:GardenCity,NY,
1979.

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