The conceptual organization: An emergent organizational form for collaborative R&D

Diane H Sonnenwald

Science and Public Policy, 2003, vol. 30, issue 4, 261-272

Abstract: Analysis of organizational documentation, sociometric survey and observation data from a two-year field study of an research and development (R&D) organization suggests that a new type of R&D organization — the conceptual organization — is emerging. It relies on and facilitates collaboration in R&D; it is based on a long-term vision that addresses large, complex and challenging problems of national and global importance. Its purpose is to work towards this vision, quickly and effectively contributing to relevant dynamic knowledge bases and meeting diverse stakeholder needs with minimum capitalization and start-up costs. To achieve this, it has an explicit conceptual organizational structure as well as a physical structure, both of which are interwoven across other external organizational and physical structures. Challenges for conceptual organizations may arise as a result of conflicts with traditional norms and practices embedded in university and R&D settings. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.

Date: 2003
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.3152/147154303781780425 (application/pdf)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oup:scippl:v:30:y:2003:i:4:p:261-272

Access Statistics for this article

Science and Public Policy is currently edited by Nicoletta Corrocher, Jeong-Dong Lee, Mireille Matt and Nicholas Vonortas

More articles in Science and Public Policy from Oxford University Press
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Oxford University Press ().