Not Just Large: Tall Teams Dominate East Asia's Scientific Production

Abstract

Purpose: This study compares the hierarchical structure of scientific teams across countries and investigates factors associated with the observed cross-national differences. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on 150,817 publications with author contribution statements, we focus on the 15 countries with the largest volume of scientific publications, examine cross-country variations in the proportion of tall teams, and analyze how this proportion correlates with other factors. Findings: Scientific output from East Asia is dominated by tall teams, which persist after controlling for team size, indicating that this pattern cannot be fully accounted for by the prevalence of larger teams in these countries. Cultural factors, measured by Power Distance, as well as the observed funding patterns of major basic science agencies, are associated with the dominance of tall teams in East Asia. Research limitations: This study is limited by its reliance on publications with author contribution statements, which may introduce selection bias; its focus on cultural and funding factors, while leaving other institutional contexts unexamined; and its use of a leadership concentration measure that does not capture other dimensions of hierarchy. Practical implications: Understanding cross-national differences in research team structures and their associated cultural and institutional factors can inform science policy and team management. Originality/value: This study provides a systematic cross-national comparison of team hierarchy and offers a mechanistic understanding of the dominance of tall teams in East Asia, highlighting associations with cultural and funding factors.

Figures (5)

• Figure 1: Panel a: Distribution of papers across $L$-ratio intervals for each country, with the red bar representing the global average. Panel b: Proportion of papers produced by tall teams in different countries, with the dashed line representing the global average. Global averages in both panels are calculated after excluding China, Japan, and South Korea.
• Figure 2: Panel a: Relationship between team size ($m$) and team hierarchy ($L$-ratio) across countries. Panel b: Proportion of papers produced by tall teams across countries for selected team sizes $m =$ 3, 6, 9. In both panels, dashed lines indicate the corresponding global averages, calculated after excluding China, Japan, and South Korea.
• Figure 3: Panel a: tall-team proportion (percentage) over time. Panels b and c: deviation from the global average over time, calculated as the annual tall-team proportion in a given country minus the corresponding global average (excluding China, Japan, and South Korea). Panel b shows results without controlling for team size, while panel c restricts to teams with more than four members ($m > 4$).
• Figure 4: Relationship between national PDI and the proportion of tall teams (expressed as percentage). Panel a shows results without controlling for team size, while panel b restricts to teams with more than four members ($m > 4$). Dashed lines indicate the linear regression fits.
• Figure 5: Comparison of the proportion of tall teams in papers supported by the main basic science funding agency in each country (NSFC in China, JSPS in Japan, NRF in South Korea, NSF in the United States) and the national average. Panel a shows results without controlling for team size, while panel b restricts to teams with more than four members ($m > 4$).