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Workforce Composition of Public R&D and Performance: Evidence from Korean Government-Funded Research Institutes

Author

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  • Sangyun Han

    (Department of International Commerce, Daejeon University, Daejeon 34520, Korea)

  • Soo Kyung Park

    (Graduate School of Information, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea)

  • Kyu Tae Kwak

    (Department of Global Culture Industry, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Korea)

Abstract

How do the organizational attributes of public R&D organizations affect their performance? Recent researchers have focused on the relationship between R&D investments and performance or efficiency, and others suggest that performance may be affected by organizational factors. However, we focus on the attributes of R&D workforce excellence and diversity of R&D workforce, which can affect the performance of public R&D organizations. Therefore, we conduct a panel negative binomial regression and a focus group interview after empirical analysis to derive interpretations and implications. The results show that the effects of the diversity and excellence of an R&D workforce can vary depending on the type of performance: scientific, technological, or social. Overall, we call for a human resources and resource-based approach to consider the importance of R&D workforce composition, specifically diversity and excellence, in evaluating the performance of public R&D organizations.

Suggested Citation

  • Sangyun Han & Soo Kyung Park & Kyu Tae Kwak, 2021. "Workforce Composition of Public R&D and Performance: Evidence from Korean Government-Funded Research Institutes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-17, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:7:p:3789-:d:526217
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