Abstract
This chapter delves into how organizational structures bear upon scientific production, answering the question: What kinds of organizational structures are in keeping with hospitable conditions for scientific discoveries? Thus, there is every indication that the organizations that are most propitious for scientific discoveries consist of functional units with a narrow span of control, where the complexity of the supervisory task is high because of the specific kind of knowledge involved in scientific production. Hence, line managers are seasoned scientists able to qualitatively gauge the value of the output produced. This is the polar opposite of a trend toward output standardization at universities and business schools, which contrasts sharply to the direction followed by the most innovative corporations. Thus, university administrators and deans are invited to exercise caution when transposing organizational mechanisms that are not fit for the purpose of the scientific enterprise.
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Notes
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For an explanation of retroduction, refer to Agafonow & Perez, Discoveries in the Science of Organizational Economics, also published in this Handbook.
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Agafonow, A., Perez, M. (2021). No Organizations for Today’s Einsteins. In: Neesham, C. (eds) Handbook of Philosophy of Management. Handbooks in Philosophy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48352-8_69-2
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