Ivan Chompalov

The organization of scientific collaborations

Abstract Based on empirical analysis of 53 multi-institutional collaborations in physics and allied sciences, we find that generalizations about the essentially informal and collective social organization of collaborative projects in science stem largely from a narrow analysis of high-energy particle physics experiments. Cluster analysis reveals that the variety of organizational formats of collaborative projects can be grouped into four types, ranging from bureaucratic to participatory. Except for particle physics, which is overwhelmingly participatory and non-bureaucratic, the membership of the other three types is mostly cross-disciplinary. The four-fold typology discriminates collaborative projects with respect to their technological practices. The structure of leadership is related to the character of interdependence in data acquisition, analysis, and communication of results: greater interdependence leads to decentralization of leadership and less formalization. We conclude that extrapolation of the organizational characteristics of particle physics to scientific collaborations in general is unjustified.

Trust, Conflict and Performance in Scientific Collaborations

Social studies of science have ascribed a central rôle to trust in the constitution of knowledge, yet there are few studies of its operation in the large, interorganizational structures increasingly required for scientific work. We begin an examination of 53 collaborations in physics and related sciences with two unexpected findings: (1) trust is no higher in projects formed through pre-existing relationships than those without such ties; and (2) there is no relationship between trust and performance. Why, then, is trust viewed as important? Because trust is inversely associated with conflict. In the second part of this paper, three axes of conflict are described, as well as their sources in the interdependencies of collaborative projects. More important than trust for an understanding of large scientific collaborations is the organization of interaction between structural components such as research teams. In the third part, we examine participant accounts of performance. Collaborations that experience uncertainties in resource acquisition are more likely to be viewed as successful than those formed under more routine conditions. In conclusion, we suggest that the segmentation of scientific collaborations through bureaucratic organization can impose a structure for interaction resembling work that is actually noncollaborative.

Institutional Collaboration in Science: A Typology of Technological Practice

An increase in the scale of modern science is associated with the proliferation of a new kind of research formation: collaborations involving teams of researchers from several organizations. Historical and sociological studies indicate substantial variation in such formations, but no general classification scheme exists. The authors provide the outline of a scheme through a systematic analysis of multi-institutional collaborations that span a variety of fields in physical science. First, general dimensions of scientific collaborations were identified through a qualitative, historical analysis of collaborations in high energy physics, space science, and geophysics. Next, the authors used informants in five new areas to collect systematic information on twenty-three recent collaborations. Finally, cluster analysis was employed to develop a variety of classification schemes and examine their relationships with outcome dimensions. Results show that a classification based on a broad conception of technological practice is superior to others in its ability to predict perceived success, trust, stress, conflict, and documentary routines.

How experiments begin: The formation of scientific collaborations

Multi-organizational collaborations are increasingly important incontemporary science, but their formative processes have beenneglected by scholars in the social studies of science. Based onan examination of 53 collaborations in physics and relateddisciplines, we have found five types of formations.Collaborations that encountered greater difficulties in formingbecame more formal in their organization and management.

Lessons Learned from the Study of Multi-organizational Collaborations in Science and Implications for the Role of the University in the 21st Century

The chapter addresses forms of research which engage teams spread over one or more institutions. The practice to pool ‘brains’ has become evident since WWII; the subsequent fashion to build ‘science parks’ followed this tradition; and other forms of pooling became necessary when research depended on costly infrastructure.