organizational design of academic laboratories and
TRANSCRIPT
Organizational Design of Academic Laboratories and Conflict of Production of Science vs. Scientists
MOTIVATION
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University Lab: Basic Unit of Scientific Production
• Source of innovative ideas and creative people (research & education)
Management of Lab
• Typical Task Allocation in Lab – Lab head is the manager: planning,
fundraising, supervision.
– Members are workers: experiments, other laborious tasks.
→ Really productive?
• Challenge for lab heads – Simultaneously play the roles of
educator and research manager (PI) – Conflicting missions: research vs.
education (Fox, 1992)
→ Any way to resolve the conflict?
Lab Head
Members
M M M
(Students & postdocs)
LH
Laboratory
(Professor)
Objectives
• Study 1
– To investigate how task allocation between lab head and junior members (PD and students) affects lab productivity
• Study 2
– To investigate how lab heads are incentivized for training of junior members and how this affects their career
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Sotaro Shibayama, Yasunori Baba, John P. Walsh
Research Policy 44(3): 610-622, 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2014.12.003
Study 1: Organizational design of University laboratories: Task allocation and lab performance in Japanese bioscience laboratories
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Prior Literature on Scientific Production
• Lab-level analyses limited. Mostly at individual, collaboration team, university, and country levels.
• A few ethnographies, general picture lacking (Latour & Woolgar 1979; Knorr-Cetina 1999, etc.)
• Stylized assumption, not scrutinized – Lab head = “manager” & Members = “worker”
(Knorr 1999; Delamont et al. 1997; etc.)
Objectives of Study 1
To investigate how task allocation between lab head and members (PD and students) affects scientific productivity
• To describe a broader picture of task allocation in life science labs with survey data
• Q1: Should members do only labor-intensive tasks? (or should be engaged also in more intellectual tasks?)
• Q2: Should lab heads concentrate on intellectual tasks? (or should engage in labor-intensive tasks as a player-manager?)
DATA & DESCRIPTION
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Data
• Survey – 400 lab heads in life science in Japanese universities
• Basic biology, basic medicine, genome science
• Pharmaceutical, medicine, agriculture
– Response rate: 44% (= 400/900)
– May-July 2010
– Mail-based
• Bibliometric data – Publication data from Web of Science
• Pubs authored by respondents (= lab heads)
Task Allocation in 3 Phases
Planning
Execution
Writing
• Decide subjects • Build hypotheses • Plan execution
• Do experiment • Analyze data
• Write a paper for publication
LH
M
? + M
+ LH
vs. LH M
Survey Instrument
Lab heads Junior
researchers PhD
students
1: Choosing a subject 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2
2: Formulating a hypothesis 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2
3: Planning experiment 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2
4: Doing experiment 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2
5: Analyzing data 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2
6: Writing papers 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2
Q: Who plays what role in each task? (0: No role. 1: Supporting role. 2: Leading role)
Description
Pattern of Task Allocation
Planning Execution Writing
%Leading role
100
0
50
M LH M LH M LH
Stylized task allocation is observed with a considerable variation.
Pattern of Task Allocation
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Description Planning Execution Writing %
Typical - 37%
Lab head's execution
- 35%
Member's full participation
- 14%
No division of labor
- 14%
M LH
LH LH M
LH M M
LH M LH M
IMPACT OF TASK ALLOCATION ON LAB PERFORMANCE
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Task Characteristics in 3 Phases
Phase Characteristics of tasks (in Life Sciences) Comparative Advantage
Planning
• Processing external knowledge & internal knowledge, technical & theoretical knowledge
• Building strategies to win competition
Lab head > Members
Execution
• Time-consuming & labor-intensive • Handling living organisms • Researchers chained to lab • Requiring craft skills
Members > Lab head
Writing • Linking experimental result with theory • Coordinating results of many members • Communication w/ peer & editors
Lab head > Members
Contextual Contingency: Basic vs. Applied
Basic Applied
Ch
arac
teri
stic
s
• For general understanding of phenomena
• Unpredictable • Exploratory • General • Theoretical • Driven by curiosity • Serendipitous
• For consideration of practical use
• Predictable • Confirmatory • Specific • Practical • Driven by utility
Sub
fiel
ds • Basic biology • Basic medicine • Neuroscience • Genome science
• Agriculture • Pharmaceutical • Medicine
(Stokes 1997; Calvert 2004)
Contextual Contingency
Phase Comparative Advantage
Reasons to believe otherwise
Planning Lab head
> Members
•Engagement in planning stimulates intrinsic motivation (Hackman & Oldham 1976): “Execution tasks are too laborious. Members cannot go through it without strong intrinsic motivation.” •Plan changes frequently in exploratory research.
Execution Members
> Lab head
•Collocation & timely input for members (Teasley 2002). Frequent revision of experimental plan; communication with members in exploratory research. •Members overlook signs of serendipitous findings (Shimizu et al 2012; van Angel 1992; Barber and Fox, 1958)
Writing Lab head
> Members
•Writing is more like summarizing results in confirmatory research.
Hypotheses
Task allocation Basic Applied
Q1a: Members’ planning ++ +
Q2: Lab head’s execution ++ +/-
Q1b: Members’ vs. lab head’s writing
Lab head >>
Member
Lab head >
Member
Planning Execution Writing ln
(#P
ub
/#St
aff)
ln
(#C
ite/
#Sta
ff)
Basic Applied *LH: lab head, M: members
LH M LH M M LH M LH
Productive Task Allocation Differs between Basic Labs and Applied Labs
Planning Execution Writing
Co-planning Autonomy stimulates members’ intrinsic motivation and encourage their effort in later phases.
Co-execution Collocation for frequent discussion and technical catch-up is important for exploratory research.
Members’ execution Confirmatory research likely follows predetermined plans, not requiring adjustment.
Lab head’s writing Longer experience & holistic scientific perspective better serves theory-driven and exploratory work.
Members’ writing In applied research with practical & specific goals, a story of paper is likely predetermined and creative interpretation is limited.
Bas
ic L
ab
Ap
plie
d L
ab
Co-planning Autonomy stimulates members’ intrinsic motivation and encourage their effort in later phases.
M LH
M
LH M LH
M LH M LH
Summary
Q1: Should lab heads stay away from the bench?
– YES in applied labs.
– NO in basic labs. Lab heads should engage in execution for the benefit of collocation.
Q2: Should members do only labor-intensive tasks?
– NO in general. Engaging members in planning stimulates intrinsic motivation and productivity.
(Particularly for postdocs, but unclear for students)
Sotaro Shibayama
Atlanta Conference on Science and Innovation Policy Sep 17-19 2015 Atlanta
Study 2: Production of Science vs. Scientists: Case of Life Science Labs in Japan
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Background
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Source: Cyranoski, D., Gilbert, N., Ledford, H., Nayar, A., Yahia, M. 2011. The phd factory. Nature, 472: 276-279.
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USA
Employment of PhDs (Japan)
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Source: Nistep. 2009. Career trends survey of recent doctoral graduates, NISTEP REPORT, Vol. 126. Tokyo: NISTEP. Graduates of 2002-2006. All fields included. Employment immediately after graduation.
Conflict of research & education
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“Students seriously trained as future scientists vs. exploited like factory workers” (from interview)
• As a researcher, lab heads need junior researchers as worker. – Driving policies to increase PhDs – But, that many PhDs may not be needed in academia. PhD’s skills
may not address industrial needs.
• As an educator, lab heads are expected to raise future scientists. – Effort for education may conflict with that for research. – Less valued under the “publish or perish” culture with strong
emphasis on short-term merit.
Prior Literature & Objective
Previous literature – Sociology of Science/Education (e.g., Fox 1992, Hackett 1990) – STS (e.g., Latour 1979) – Higher education (e.g., Marsh 2002) – Academic career (e.g., Long & Allison 1979)
Limitation: Conflict of research/training in lab context understudied, possibly due to poor data access
29
Research Questions • Q1: How are lab heads incentivized for training of PhD
students?
• Q2: How does that affect the outcome of training?
Training for Upstream Tasks (engagement in planning)
30
LH M + Lab performance
↑
LH
St
+ PD Lab performance
↑
LH + Lab performance ?
Pla
nn
ing
Exec
uti
on
W
riti
ng
Research Questions
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Planning Execution
Factory-like Lab
S LH
Planning Execution
Training-oriented Lab
S LH S
Q1: Rationale for factory-like lab Is exploiting students like factory worker really productive?
Q2: Rationale for training-oriented lab Is there any way to incentivize LHs for serious training?
Q3: Outcome of training Are students exploited like factory worker less likely to find academic jobs?
Q3: Outcome of training Are students trained seriously more likely to find academic jobs?
Who decides PhD dissertation topic?
32 Source: Kato (2012). PhD graduates in 2002-2006 from Japanese universities.
42%
93%
DATA
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Data collection
• For each LH, all PhD graduates in 2000-2010 are identified.
• For each PhD, their career and performance measured.
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PhD DB
1,126 graduates in 2000-2010 under LH’s supervision
CV DB
Post-grad affiliation identified
Pub DB
12,000 pubs authored by the graduates
Questionnaire Conducted in 2010 200 LHs
Description: Task Allocation
Description: Students’ engagement in planning
0
.05
.1.1
5.2
.25
Fra
ctio
n
0 .2 .4 .6 .8 1Training of general skills
36 No engagement Full engagement
Correlation with attitude
37
0.17* (0.02)
-0.05 (0.47)
-0.03 (0.65)
-0.02 (0.81)
Lab head’s attitude on student training
Correlation with student’s planning
(p-value)
RESULT
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11
.52
2.5
Pre
dic
tion
of #p
ub
-5 0 5 10#Years since graduation
Training given No training given
11.
52
2.5
Pred
ictio
n of
#pu
b
-5 0 5 10#Years since graduation
Training given No training given
Student’s #Pub 39
Pre grad Post grad 1
1.5
22
.5
Pre
dic
tion
of #p
ub
-5 0 5 10#Years since graduation
Training given No training givenNo engagement in planning
Full engagement in planning
How might LHs want to train students for planning tasks?
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[Altruistic educator] Students should be trained for planning tasks unconditionally. • “Exactly because of their lack of skills, students need training.” • “A university is a place for education. Students’ benefit comes
first.”
[Egoistic educator] Students may be trained for planning tasks if direct return is expected. • “Trained students will become my follower, extend my
research, provide expertise through collaboration, and contribute to my reputation.”
Reciprocity in Academic Training
41
Lab
Train LH
S Labor
G
Graduated
Direct return (long-term) • Collaboration (coauthor) • Reputation gain (citation)
Altruism • Advancement of science • Contribution to society
%Reciprocal Publication
42
Interpretation
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Pre grad Post grad
Factory-like Lab Training-oriented Lab
Pre grad Post grad
10 10 10 10 10 5 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 20 10 10 10 20
Student’s & Prof’s
Prof’s 10 5 10 10 10 15
Cite Cite
10 15
Student’s (but not Prof’s)
Reliance on Reciprocal Pub
• Research orientation: Applied >> Basic
– Applied researchers demand more reciprocal pub.
– Greater spillover expected in basic research, limited spillover in applied research.
• Lab head’s generation: Young >> Old
– Younger LHs demand more reciprocal pub.
– Under stronger competitive pressure, they want to secure direct returns.
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Training & Student’s Career
45
Student’s planning
%Reciprocal Pub
Faculty Postdoc PhD training
#Pub (pre-grad)
#Pub (post-grad)
(-)
(+)
Student’s Career
(+)
H1A
H1B
H2
H3: Lack of training produces technicians, who are unlikely to be employed, even though short-term productivity may be good.
H4: Excessive reciprocity leads to lack of originality and competition among lab-mates, hampering employment.
Employed as Postdoc
(+) H3
Employed as faculty
(-) H4
Summary
• Student’s engagement in planning is negatively associated with pre-grad productivity and is positively with post-grad productivity. →Lab heads are better off not giving training for planning tasks (H1A). This leads to production of technicians who are likely to drop out (H3).
• Student’s engagement in planning is positively associated with direct reciprocity. → Reciprocal publication provides incentive for training (H2), but it can compromise graduates’ long-term career prospect (H4).
• Positive association b/w planning and reciprocal pub is stronger in applied research and in younger generation. → Recent policies emphasizing applied research & competition can make lab heads want more reciprocal publications (H2’).
→ For sustainable development of science, longer-term incentive needs to be implemented.
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