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

2026-04-02

AI Summary

This study investigates why research teams in East Asia commonly exhibit “tall” hierarchical structures. Leveraging a dataset of 150,000 scholarly papers with author contribution statements, the analysis systematically compares team hierarchies across 15 major research-producing countries, integrating variables such as cultural dimensions (notably power distance), patterns of research funding, and team size. The findings reveal that, even after controlling for team size, East Asian teams remain significantly more hierarchical, a pattern closely associated with high power distance cultures and centralized models of basic research funding. This work underscores the profound influence of institutional and cultural factors on the organizational morphology of scientific collaboration.

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.

Problem

• scientific teams
• team hierarchy
• East Asia
• Power Distance
• cross-national comparison

Innovation

• tall teams
• scientific collaboration
• Power Distance
• research team hierarchy
• cross-national comparison