The influence of immediate working environment upon research productivity of 1,009 academic, physical scientists was examined. Working environment was classified as being either professionally oriented and supportive of scientific productivity, or organizationally oriented and supportive of bureaucratic advancement. Liberal arts, parochial, and service orientations were classified as organizational, while research context was classified as professional. These environments were examined in relationship to personal teaching philosophy, parameters of an ideal position, mean annual publication rate, and grant-getting. Individuals in the research environment sought new positions for organizational reasons, while individuals in nonresearch environments sought new positions for professional reasons. Professionally-oriented parameters were the primary determinants of productivity. It was found that while scientists might overtly subscribe to the goals of an institution, they were aware that they need to be in an environment that is supportive of research in order to be productive. It would appear that for the physical scientist, the liberal arts and parochial environments are particularly inhibiting of productivity. (Author/SW)