Organizational staffing and productivity in basic and applied research: A comparative study

The impact on productivity of hiring additional scientists and technicians during the initial period of their affiliation with the research unit is considered. Results from a field study show that on the average, increases in technicians have a greater initial impact on research unit productivity than do increases in scientists. These effects however, are moderated by the nature of the research task. The more applied the research task, the smaller the initial impact of increases in technicians on research unit productivity, but the greater the initial impact of increases in scientists. These findings suggest a contingency approach to the staffing or project groups in research organizations.