THE ROLE OF SCIENCE LEADERS IN THE CONTEMPORARY KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY

Abstract

In the global era of the tremendous rise of information and communication technologies, a basic thesis is that leaders in science play a major role in creating and direct application of new knowledge in the social practice. The thorough study of different aspects accompanying the development of science leaders contributes to the understanding of the dynamics of the process of “producing” and applying knowledge. Despite the specifics of scientific activity, the ‘making’ of leaders in science abides the applicable legislative norms and the common moral and ethical rules, whose manifestation is being observed in the current social practice. In order to become a leader in science being a ‘great scientist’ is just not enough. “Great scientists”, for example, work directly for themselves and/or for a relatively limited group of colleagues of theirs, who are a gathered by the laws of science research team. This mode of work is only natural and it fits the social expectations for science development. This is, however, a two-way process for on the one hand the scientist leading the team is like a natural leader. On the other hand, the process of creation of a leader in science is a complex process comparable to the development of science itself. The result of this research shows that the process becomes even more complicated with the level of development of contemporary information civilization. It is namely the environment which turns out to be a basis for new social stratifications incompatible with the prevailing social norms and relations until now. The paper reviews and presents the differences in the notions of a “scientific leader” and a “leader in science” on the basis of directions of the research in different scientific spheres and their application in practice. Some of the leading scientific trends have been traced related to both the development of science globally as well as its national peculiarities, through the prism of leadership and leadership practices.