Research Autonomy within Industry

• In Event: 387 - Regular Session. Sociology of Science 2

Abstract

Research freedom is one of the most challenging issues facing managers of industrial science. The amount of autonomy given industrial scientists can shape the products created by companies as well as the science generated by researchers. An emerging literature suggests that research autonomy has increased in industry as part of a general move towards more academic like science, a condition which we call Academic Industry. Other scholarship suggests that research autonomy has decreased over time or has remained stable since the early part of the 20th century. Although insightful, all three positions are largely ahistorical. Drawing upon secondary literature as well as upon our reading of trade journals - Research Management and R&D Magazine - we find that research autonomy often follows an inverted J curve at many companies. We also find evidence to suggest that research autonomy is shaped, at least in part, by business trajectories and by business contingencies.

Authors

• Robert Osley-Thomas, University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Daniel Lee Kleinman, University of Wisconsin-Madison