Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Ole Isacson: Development of New Therapies for Parkinson's Disease
Published on: April 29, 2007
Leadership in research: organizing genius
1University of Southern California School of Dentistry, USA. slavkin@hsc.usc.edu
Abstract:
Science has become complex. Its success is increasingly becoming a matter of collaboration based on established infrastructures and professional norms in response to environmental challenges. Leadership in such situations means organizing the genius inherent in great groups. Three examples--the Manhattan Project, mapping the human genome, and rapidly understanding the nature of the SARS virus--are analyzed, showing a trend away from the individual scientist to a model based on simultaneous competition and collaboration.
Related Concept Videos
Impact of Individuals on a Group
Social Loafing
Creative Thinking
Divergent thinking is the...
Groupthink
Ethics in Research
Cognitive Learning
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
