The production of scientific knowledge has evolved from a process of inquiry largely based on the activities of individual scientists to one grounded in the collaborative efforts of specialized research teams. This shift brings to light a new question: how the composition of scientific teams affects their production of knowledge. This study employs data from 1,415 experiments conducted at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) between 2005 and 2008 to identify and select a sample of 89 teams and examine whether team diversity and network characteristics affect productivity.The study examines how the diversity of science teams along several variables affects overall team productivity. Results indicate several diversity measures associated with network position and team productivity. Teams with mixed institutional associations were more central to the overall network compared with teams that primarily comprised NHMFL's own scientists. Team cohesion was positively related to productivity. The study indicates that high productivity in teams is associated with high disciplinary diversity and low seniority diversity of team membership. Finally, an increase in the share of senior members negatively affects productivity, and teams with members in central structural positions perform better than other teams.
The production of scientific knowledge has evolved from a process of inquiry largely based on the activities of individual scientists to one grounded in the collaborative efforts of highly specialized research teams, which have become an increasingly prominent means of knowledge production. This study examines data from 1,415 experiments conducted by scientific teams at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) to examine how the diversity of science teams along several key variables—including institutional diversity, disciplinary diversity, gender, seniority, and the network position—impacts overall team productivity as measured by peer reviewed journal publication. The results from correlation and quantile regression analysis indicate high productivity in teams is associated with high disciplinary diversity and low seniority diversity in team membership; team cohesion also positively related to productivity. Teams with members in central structural positions performed better than other teams. A better understanding of the factors that impact scientific teams, as determined by this and future research, may enable key stakeholders to facilitate more effective and efficient team operations and increase overall scientific productivity.
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