【科智硕106吴韦廷报导】
国立政治大学科技管理与智慧财产研究所很荣幸地于107年4月24日邀请到客座教授， Phillips 教授与我们分享他的研究领域以及相关经验，并给予社会新鲜人建议及鼓励。 Phillips 教授是 Technological Forecasting & Social Change 期刊的总编辑，亦是专注于科技导向之区域型发展（ technology-based regional development, TBED）、研究政策及高等教育三大领域之管理顾问公司 General Informatics 的创办人。跨领域之旅—寻找各领域之间的连结亦是一种专业
Phillips 教授主要专注于科技预测与评估，且因其跨领域的特性而为之着迷，并形容科管是一脚跨进工程，另一脚跨进社会学的领域。Phillips 教授大学为数学系，攻读博士期间则遵循其指导教授 Abraham Charnes 所开设的跨领域课程，并于毕业后加入 Charnes 教授友人的行销公司工作。Phillips 教授说自己从小就有不断寻找真理的执着，所以才选择担任教授，如此一来便能终其一生地沈浸于学习中。
在访谈中我们提及有许多学生担心在追求成为跨领域人才的过程中，面临专业不足的难题。Phillips 教授根据自身经验与我们分享了不一样的看法：「寻找各领域之间的连结亦是一种专业，这世界上需要能将不同领域相连结的人才正如其需要具有某一领域专业的人才一样。要记得的是，全球目前所面临的重要议题绝对不是靠单一领域就能解决的。」
「要记得，仅拥有单一领域专业的人才，是很难拯救世界的。」
如何成立自己的管理顾问公司—以自身专业作为槓杆
Phillips 教授在访谈中提及担任管理顾问最有趣，但往往也令人惋惜的是，他常常处理的并不是公司营运本身的问题，而是人性。许多客户常常会因为要保留自己的面子或是逃避责任，而选择规避某些问题或是隐瞒实情。
当我们谈到要如何成立自己的管理顾问公司时，Phillips 教授建议我们应该要先从了解自己的优势开始。刚毕业的学生往往无法直接担任管理顾问，不过我们可以从小处着手，运用我们已经拥有的专业，例如：协助进行顾客调查、资料分析或翻译菜单等。随着我们教育水准的逐渐提升，才能从我们所拥有的节点去创造产生更多的节点，并发展出更好的服务。Phillips 教授同时提醒我们担任一位管理顾问最基础也最关键的能力—聆听。当我们参与商业聚会时，千万不要只顾着介绍自己，应该要聆听大家的问题，因为当人们认为我们了解他们时，他们就会僱用我们。
人工智能、教授与科技管理
Phillips 教授说人们一直以来都对科技抱有恐惧，人工智能与机器人只会加深此恐惧而已。因此更重要的是，我们必须了解这些科技。从脸书创办人马克·祖克柏的听证会中就能发现多数人们对于大数据是不甚了解的。这些科技更应该被规范，不过其规范程度不能使其创新被阻碍。
「仔细想想，科技管理这名字相当可笑，科技本身不需要被管理，人们才需要被管理。」
谈到人工智能，Phillips 教授认为教授并不会被机器人取代，因为教授能同理学生，并协助他们找到其兴趣以及适合他们的学习与工作。至于科技管理的前瞻性，Phillips 教授说现今的工作环境对于该科系的人们相当有利，因为现今所谓的管理，基本上都是属于科技管理的一种。
给年轻人与台湾的建议——多犯错并将眼光放远
Phillips 教授说许多台湾学生害怕于课堂中犯错，但是现在正是犯错的最好时机，因为身为学生犯错的成本远比出社会后还要低。
「趁现在多犯错，你才能学会如何改进。」
Phillips 教授也提及，我们不应该将所有的情绪都投入在第一份工作中，因为我们会有很多工作机会。如果第一份工作不尽理想，不要太灰心，一定会有其他更好的机会。另外，我们必须拿捏自信与自傲的差别，要有自信地走进每一场会议及面试，并要以礼待人。千万不要涉入办公室政治，因为人们都知道会这么做的总是那些无法依靠实力达成任务的人们。如果因为办公室政治使得自己无法于该组织顺利升迁，仍然要记得好好将份内的事情做好，因为一段好的名声是得来不易的。
最后，Phillips 教授鼓励台湾应该要将眼光放远，并培育更多能接受挑战的领导者。我们应该要建立一个全球性的消费者品牌并建立一个除了半导体之外的科技专业。
「现在是亚洲的时代，而我很荣幸自己能参与其中。」
Visiting Professor in His Own Words—
Interview with Professor Fred Phillips
Author: Jeffrey Wu
The Graduate Institute of Technology, Innovation and Intellectual Property
Management (TIIPM) of National Cheng Chi University (NCCU) was very
delighted to have Visiting Professor Fred Phillips share his fields of
interests, experiences and offer some advice and encouragements to those
just starting their careers. Professor Phillips is the Editor-in-Chief of the
journal Technological Forecasting & Social Change and founder of General
Informatics LLC, a consulting company specializing in technology-based
regional development (TBED), research policy and higher education.
The Interdisciplinary Path: Making Connections is an Expertise
Professor Phillips specializes in management of technology (MOT), and
mainly focuses on technology forecasting and assessment. He is deeply
fascinated by the interdisciplinary nature of the field, describing it as
having one foot stepped in social science and the other in engineering.
Professor Phillips started with mathematics for his Bachelor’s and for his
graduate studies, he followed an interdisciplinary curriculum designed by
his mentor, Abraham Charnes, who later recommended him to work at his
friend’s marketing research company. Professor Phillips said that he has
always been motivated to find the truth, starting when he was very young,
that is why he ultimately chose to become a professor where he would be
able to become rich in learning for the rest of his life.
During the talk, we mentioned that many students fear that pursing
interdisciplinary talents would run the risk of learning only a little bit of
everything and thus possibly end up being shallow. Professor Phillips
offered us another point of view from his perspective and in retrospect of
his own career and experiences. “Making connections is also an expertise”,
he emphasized, “the world needs people who can bridge different fields
together just as it needs people with expertise in a specific field.” “Although
there exists a dilemma that job offers seem to require people specializing in
a narrow field”, stressed Professor Phillips, “we must keep in mind that the
world’s problems simply cannot be solved by only looking at one narrow
area.”
“You have to remember that the world cannot be saved only by people
who specialize in narrow fields. ”
Starting a Consulting Firm — Leverage You Own Expertise
Through his company, General Informatics, Professor Phillips has offered
consultation to various companies and government entities. He said that
what fascinates him the most, though disappointing, is that as a consultant,
he often has to deal with human motivation. Many clients often lie to him
in order to avoid obligations or because they are more interested in looking
good than solving the problem.
When we touched on the topic about how to start our own consulting
company, Professor Phillips advised that we must first understand our
strengths and then use it as a leverage. Students and new graduates usually
have limited credibility as management consultants. Start simple and offer
expertise we have such as customer survey, statistical analysis or
translation of menus. As our own education progresses, we will then be able
to leverage the contacts we have to offer higher-level services. Professor
Phillips also reminded us the fundamentals of being a good consultant is to
listen. Attending business events are important, but don’t “work the room”.
Instead, try to understand people’s problems and if they think we
understand them, they will hire us.
AI, Professors and Technology Management
“People have always felt anxiety about technology”, said Professor Phillips,
“and robots and AI are going to escalate this anxiety to a whole new level.”
Professor Phillips stressed on the importance of understanding these
technologies. We should take a lesson from Zuckerberg’s recent testimony
to US legislators who showed their poor understanding of big data. These
technologies should be well governed, but not too tightly so as to impede its
innovation. We need to understand the policy, the technology, the political
process, and the technology assessment.
“Management of Technology remains a silly name for our field.
Technology does need to be managed. People need to be managed.”
Regarding artificial intelligence, Professor Phillips believes that there will
be an ongoing need for professors despite people talking about the
replacement of professors by robots. Professors empathize with students
and help them find courses and jobs that suit their needs and personalities.
It will still take a while for robots to achieve the same level. As for the field
of technology management, the landscape of workplace is shifting towards
an advantageous environment for those in the field — all management now
is in one way or another, technology management.
Advice for the Young and the Taiwanese: Make Mistakes Now
and Think Bigger!
Professor Phillips said that many Taiwanese students are afraid to make
English mistakes in class, but on the contrary, it is the time when our
mistakes are much less costly.
“Make lots of mistakes now, so you can learn to correct them.”
Professor Phillips also mentioned that we shouldn’t put all our emotional
eggs in a single career basket as we will have many jobs in the course of our
careers. We should not become too frustrated if one of our jobs turn out to
be unsatisfactory as other opportunities will definitely come. Additionally,
we need to learn to grasp the difference between confidence and arrogance.
Walk into every room and every meeting as if you are the one, and greet
others with courtesy. Do not engage in office politics as everyone knows
that those who do are the ones that are not competent at the work in their
job description. Do the jobs we are given and if we are not able to rise to the
top of the organization due to the political players, we must remember that
a good reputation goes a long way.
Last but not least, Professor Phillips encouraged the Taiwanese to think
bigger and develop more talented leaders that can handle challenges ahead.
We should develop at least one company producing a world-recognized
consumer brand and develop expertise in a hot technological area besides
semiconductors.
“This is the Asian century, and I am glad and proud to be a part of it.”
（上图为Phillips教授访谈后摄影。图片来源／吴韦廷 提供)）
