Organizational diversity and research performance: A case study of the national telecommunication program in Taiwan

Due to limited research resources, the efficient allocation of science and technology subsidies is a major concern for public or non-profit organizations. This study examines the effect of organizational diversity of a research team on performance. We use the Taiwan National Telecommunication Program as a case study. We construct an integrated model of analytical hierarchy process and data envelopment analysis to calculate the comparative performance score of each NTP research team. We then develop a Tobit regression model to verify the influence of organizational diversity. The results show that the diversity indicators of new recruits and cross-boundary linkages both promote technological efficiency but impede scale efficiency. We conclude with our suggestions for R&D management and R&D subsidy policies.