OCCUPATIONAL ROLES AND EXPECTATIONS OF RESEARCH SCIENTISTS AND RESEARCH MANAGERS IN SCIENTIFIC-RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS

Publicly funded research institutes in most countries have been presse d by economic and political pressures through the 1990s to become more financially independent, to be more accountable and to adopt more bus inesslike principles and practices. In this context the occupational r oles and career options for scientists and research managers in these organisations have undergone considerable change. As the research cult ures of these institutions take on a more commercial perspective, new and critical career path choices for both researchers and the organisa tions themselves have emerged. This article focuses on the changing oc cupational roles of research scientists and research managers in the A ustralian CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and industrial Research Organ isation), one of the world's largest multidisciplinary research organi sations. Two critical occupational pathways are discussed: one between science and science management and another between science management and commercial management. Key points where the pathways diverge are identified and linked to broader issues of organisational cu Itu re an d human resource management. The authors argue that research institute s such as the Australian CSIRO require a 'multicultural' management ap proach that horizontally integrates the industrial, scientific and com mercial domains of the organisations' research cultures.