Between Scylla and Charybdis - and Enjoying it? Organisational Tensions and Research Work

Science Studies, Vol. 13(2000) No. 2, 52–76 In Greek mythology, Scylla and Charybdis were two immortal monsters that lived in the narrow waters traversed by the hero Odysseus. They are personifications of a whirlpool and a dangerous rock, but Scylla and Charybdis can also be seen as a poetic expression to the dangers that confronted Greek mariners when they ventured into uncharted waters. With increasing demands for external relevance, utility value or commercialisation of research results, as well as new forms of management, evaluation and accountability, many researchers probably feel they are venturing into uncharted waters too. For instance, in cross-sector research co-operation, careful manoeuvring may be necessary to avoid the projects from turning into traditional industrial R&D or private sponsorship of traditional academic research. Indeed, research work, with a fundamental demand for originality, is a constant venture into uncharted waters in itself. However, the balance of opposing forces, be it whirlpools or rocks, is not a new phenomenon in scientific work. Kuhn (1963) claimed that scientists face “creative tensions” that can be “almost unbearable”, and Pelz & Andrews (1976) found that research performance was highest under conditions that seemed antithetical, e.g. simultaneous high levels of autonomy and dependency upon others. In the general literature about organisations, issues like ambiguity, paradox and tension have become popular, not least following the emergence of themes such as learning and change management. A central claim in the literature is that tensions need to be balanced or maintained if the organisation is to change, be productive and/or to innovate (see Foss Hansen, 1995; Dougherty, 1996; Weick & Westley, 1996; Birkelund, 2000). In this paper, I will take a closer look at tensions in research work and research units. My starting point is that many scientists reportedly have produced higher quality work in some reBetween Scylla and Charybdis – and Enjoying it? Organisational Tensions and Research Work