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Transformational Organizations and a Burst of Scientific Breakthroughs

The Institut Pasteur and Biomedicine, 1889–1919

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 January 2016

Jerald Hage  and
Jonathon Mote
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Abstract

We use a historical case study of the Institut Pasteur to articulate the concept of the transformational organization in science, an organization with the capacity to make a large number of scientific breakthroughs in a short period of time. In considering the potential characteristics that explain a burst of scientific innovations, we attempt to move beyond the standard arguments in the management and organizational sociology literature that typically focus on complex research teams with cross-fertilization of ideas. Rather, we discuss the organizational characteristics that facilitate the development of these types of mechanisms. In doing so we address the dilemma faced by organizations seeking to assemble complex teams, that is, increasing cognitive distance. To illustrate the concept of a transformational organization, we explore the formative years of the Institut Pasteur, 1889–1919.

Type
Articles
Information
Social Science History , Volume 34 , Issue 1 , Spring 2010 , pp. 13 - 46
Copyright
Copyright © Social Science History Association 2010 

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