Technical Professionals’ Identities in the R&D Context: Beyond the Scientist Versus Engineer Dichotomy

Abstract

Scientists and engineers are essential to Research and Development (R&D) organizations. Although the literature on technical professionals tends to characterize them in terms of dichotomies or even make no distinctions at all, it is known that human capital is more heterogeneous and nuanced. There is a need to revisit the underlying assumptions about technical professionals through deep empirical work to keep management connected to the reality of today's workforce. In this research, we explore different types of professional identities by examining the work motives and behavior of a group of employees in a scientific R&D organization. Using in-depth interviews with 25 scientists and engineers at a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) center, we develop a motive-based model of technical professionals’ work identities. We found an overlapping spectrum of relevant work identities that go beyond the scientist versus engineer dichotomy. Our model suggests three dimensions of motivation (social orientation, temporality of reward, and involvement with technology) that define different technical professional's identity types-–among them, enablers, bridgers, researchers, and intrapreneurs. Depending on their dominant motivations and behaviors, these identities react differently to incentives. This research offers a more current and grounded classification of technical professionals, which has implications for both scholars studying intellectual human capital and managers leading organizations.