Organizational Context and Scientific Productivity

An earlier study found that while a scientist's productivity does not affect the prestige of the academic position obtained, the prestige of the position does affect later productivity. In this paper consideration of contextual effects is broadened to include differing organizational contexts of scientific employment. Chances of obtaining employment in a particular context are not strongly affected by productivity. Once employment is obtained in a specific context, individual levels of productivity soon conform to characteristics of that context. These results do not support the idea that scientists are allocated to organizational contexts on the basis of their scientific contributions. Past research indicating that the most productive scientists are recruited to academic locations may have confused the cause of a scientist working in a given context with the effect of working in that context.