Cosmopolitan-local orientations as predictors of scientific productivity, organizational productivity, and job satisfaction for scientists and engineers

Abstract

Data from over 400 civilian scientists and engineers in four Air Force Research and Development Laboratories were used to explore the predictive power of the cosmopolitan-local construct. Those respondents who scored high on the cosmopolitan dimension (concern with contribution to science) tended to score high on the scientific productivity dimension (publish papers in professional journals and present papers at symposia). Similarly, high scores on the local dimensions (concern for the employing organization) were found with high scores on the organizational productivity dimension (write laboratory technical reports and memoranda). Job satisfaction was positively associated with the local orientation and unassociated with the cosmopolitan orientation. The interaction or combined effect of the two orientations yielded no additional predictive power over that of the separate orientations.