Fieldlab collaboration requires trust and flexibility
Working in a network, gaining knowledge, experimenting with technology and actually making time for this. These are the advantages of cooperating within a fieldlab according to research conducted by Dennis van Kampen and Fleur Deken of the Vrije Universiteit. They spoke several times with partners of the Techport Fieldlab Smart Maintenance, collected many documents and made over 200 observations. They tell in this article about the first insights.
Fleur Deken is Associate Professor of Organization & Innovation at the Free University (VU) and started benchmarking fieldlabs in the Netherlands several years ago. Fleur: "There are so many different forms of fieldlabs. There is still little knowledge about this. The fieldlab in the manufacturing industry already has a mature form and in the agri sector also a lot is already happening in a successful way. So I made a comparison between different sectors." Dennis van Kampen, a researcher at VU's KIN Center for Digital Innovation, later became involved in the research. Dennis: "I am really close to practice as a researcher at the Techport Fieldlab Smart Maintenance. I watch the use cases and so I sit in on the meetings. There I make observations to see how the partners work together and what they do with the data they collect and how they try to interpret it, for example."
The research phase is over and Dennis and Fleur will now start working on an analysis of the data they have collected and possibly write scientific articles based on that. Fleur: "We will also include the benchmark in this, as we do not yet know everything scientifically about this type of collaboration. Open-ended collaborations require commitment and trust. In the Netherlands, a trust is developing that we need this kind of collaboration to experiment with technology. However, we still know little about how to properly set up such a collaboration and in which situation it is best to set up which type of field lab. We want to substantiate that further by systematically comparing more cases."
Insights
Dennis: "Through the research, I think interesting insights have already emerged. For example, if you look at the start of a use case, you think that the data we are going to collect with different parties is really a gold mine. You just don't know at that point how you can really start using it in practice. You start learning and then you run into practical issues. For example, to compare data, you have to make various adjustments to the data to make it comparable. For example, by equating timestamps. And so there is always another obstacle and you adjust the goals accordingly. Another insight is that data in itself does not always tell you that much. You collect data with sensors and can then visualize it. But to get real value out of it, you also need people working with those machines every day to "translate" and define the data. Does the data actually indicate something positive or something worrisome?" Fleur adds: "One insight I got is the knowledge barrier between engineers and data scientist. They both have some of the knowledge and therefore a different image. Both images are needed though, that's where the value is. Collaboration in a field lab also requires the right attitude and motivation. You start an experiment with many uncertainties. The objective at the beginning can be very different at the end. You shouldn't be afraid to adjust things in between if they don't turn out the way you expected. This can demotivate. For example, a cable had to be laid for fixed internet, which took weeks. It is important to stay hooked even then. What has stayed with me is that there are many people within this field lab who really accepted the uncertainty. They wanted to figure it out, so they kept going." Dennis: "What I find special is that you sit around the table with very different kinds of parties, including competitors. Everyone goes into it with an expectation anyway and you don't know if that will be realized. This requires trust and your own goals are not always just paramount in this process."
But what is the right form of collaboration within a field lab? Fleur: "I expect there are several types. You can think of one central party bringing in a case that several parties will work on. Or, on the contrary, a social problem is put at the center and different parties will work on it." Dennis: "In June, Fleur and I are going to Milan to share the knowledge we have gained in the field of digital technology during a conference and to learn from other researchers. We certainly hope to take these insights into our development as well."