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A causal model of productivity in a research facility

Abstract

The problem addressed concerns the conditions that foster productivity among natural scientists in a large research laboratory. We take several variables identified as important in two major perspectives in the literature on productivity, and use these variables to construct a causal model. Using path analysis, we test the model by employing data from a sample of 295 scientists working at an atomic research facility in West Germany. In general, educational level of the scientists has an important, positive impact on productivity; years of service has a varying and more modest positive effect. Rank of the scientist has an intermediate positive impact on productivity; psychological factors have a negligible effect. Finally, the influence the scientist has on his research endeavors has a modest positive impact on productivity.

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I am happy to acknowledge several people who provided considerable help on this research: Professors Edward O.Laumann, of the University of Chicago, Franz U.Pappi, of the Universitat zu Kiel, and Michael S.Flynn and Mary FrankFox, of the University of Michigan, and a number of research assistants, including in particular HaraldKlingemann and E. DanielAyres. Financial support for the data collection was freely provided by the Landesamt fur Forschung in Ministerium für Wissenschaft and Forschung des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen. Financial support for the data analysis came from the National Science Foundation (GS-32002). Data collection was conducted under the auspices of the Zentralarchiv der Universität zu Köln.

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Senter, R. A causal model of productivity in a research facility. Scientometrics 10, 307–328 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02016777

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02016777

Keywords

  • Natural Scientist
  • Research Laboratory
  • Educational Level
  • Positive Impact
  • Psychological Factor