Management styles and social structure in “identical” engineering groups

This study compares two R&D work groups with different developmental histories in “identical” positions in a large defense contracting firm. The author attempts to show how their histories affected the ways in which the groups were integrated into the company. The study is exploratory and is intended to emphasize the entrepreneurial and micropolitical aspects of R&D organization. It asks, what did the groups do to survive and prosper within the company context.