Comparative study on the organization and performance of research units, 1974

Drawing from the growing tradition of survey research approaches to the study of management practices in science, in research, and experimental development, this study embraced a multi-faceted evaluation of scientific productivity and effectiveness at the levels of both the individual scientists and the research unit. The questionnaires incorporated a wide variety of indicators for social- psychological and sociological factors such as satisfaction with the working environment, ratings of supervisory qualities, perceptions of influence patterns and the latitude in the choice of research themes. Additionally, the collection includes actual research output of the scientists individually and of the research unit as a whole, the professional experience of the research workers, the availability and quality of resources and the extent of communication within and between research units. The survey was conducted with five standardized questionnaires, translated into the national languages of the participating countries. The questionnaires were administered respectively to the head of the research unit, to the administrative officer, to staff scientists, to technical support staff, and to external evaluators.