Institutional Possibilities and Limits of Professional Self-Realisation of Researchers under the Innovative Restructuring of Russian Science

Abstract

Introduction. At a time of global economic, social, cultural and political change, it is particularly important to monitor the sustainability of socially important institutions in rapidly changing spheres. Beyond any doubt, the field of science has a special role to play in innovative transformation.The aim of the present sociological research is to establish the degree of compliance of the personal, collective and institutional levels of innovative restructuring of Russian science with the challenges of an innovative society. The consistency and integrity of functioning of these levels is one of the key conditions for the professional self-realisation of a modern scientist.Methodology and research methods. The methodological basis of the study is the integral individual-system paradigm, which considers the agent of action in the system of rules and resources, limiting the range of choice in the system. Empirical data were collected through an expert semi-formalised survey of researchers in 21 entities of the Russian Federation. The sample (N = 640) consisted of respondents engaged in technical, natural, humanitarian, social and philosophical spheres, higher education system, centres of the Russian Academy of Sciences and state management structures.Results and scientific novelty. The institutionalisation of social practices is represented as a synthesis of the field of individual intentions and rules of interaction established in the social field. At the intersection of these fields, standardised social interaction schemes are being transformed and new behaviours and actions are emerging.The present research for the first time applied a three-level model of institutionalisation of science in an innovative environment, which allowed correlating the personal, organisational and systemic factors of disclosure of the intellectual potential of the scientist. Moreover, this resulted in identifying the existing contradictions between the personal motivation of agents of scientific activity and mechanisms, which structure the work of scientific organisations and the system of indicators of their effectiveness approved by the state. The survey data demonstrated stable motivation of Russian scientists for professional self-realisation and active scientific search, based on personal responsibility, understanding of the social significance of their research, or less frequently based on the membership of a successful team. However, serious institutional barriers have been identified to optimise the working conditions of scientists. The institutional barriers include: the administrative difficulties of establishing strong professional links with production, social and power structures; the lack of opportunities to participate in global scientific discourse; the narrow functionality of scientific organisations as an intermediate link between scientists and the state; the reluctance of expert scientific community to develop the criteria and indicators of the quality of scientific activity; the non-compliance of these indicators with innovative priorities and goals, etc.Practical significance. The research results and proposals can be used to adjust the state policy of the Russian Federation and the principles of management of the organisation in accordance with the innovative priorities of the society.