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GitHub: exploring the space between boss-less and hierarchical forms of organizing

Author

Listed:
  • Richard M. Burton

    (Duke University)

  • Dorthe Døjbak Håkonsson

    (Aarhus University)

  • Jackson Nickerson

    (Washington University in St. Louis)

  • Phanish Puranam

    (INSEAD)

  • Maciej Workiewicz

    (ESSEC Business School)

  • Todd Zenger

    (University of Utah)

Abstract

In this edition of the organizational zoo series, we take a closer look at an interesting organization design case—GitHub, a software company from California. Similar to Valve, the subject of the previous article in the series (Puranam and Håkonsson, J Organ Design 4: 2–4, 2015) GitHub is used to delegate the choice of projects and project allocation to its workers, fitting the recent trend in running organizations without bosses. The interesting fact about GitHub is that after years of praising its own unorthodox organizational structure, the company suddenly decided to abandon it for something much more traditional. We asked several renowned organization scientists to share their thoughts on this interesting case and discuss what we can learn from it.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard M. Burton & Dorthe Døjbak Håkonsson & Jackson Nickerson & Phanish Puranam & Maciej Workiewicz & Todd Zenger, 2017. "GitHub: exploring the space between boss-less and hierarchical forms of organizing," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 6(1), pages 1-19, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jorgde:v:6:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1186_s41469-017-0020-3
    DOI: 10.1186/s41469-017-0020-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Cited by:

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    3. Maciej Workiewicz, 2023. "On fads, fashions, and follies of flat organizing and why managers still matter," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 12(1), pages 47-49, June.
    4. Luigi Mosca & Martina Gianecchini & Diego Campagnolo, 2021. "Organizational life cycle models: a design perspective," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 10(1), pages 3-18, March.
    5. Stephan Leitner, 2023. "Designing organizations for bottom-up task allocation: The role of incentives," Papers 2301.00410, arXiv.org.
    6. Mark W. Moffett & Simon Garnier & Kathleen M. Eisenhardt & Nathan R. Furr & Massimo Warglien & Costanza Sartoris & William Ocasio & Thorbjørn Knudsen & Lars A. Bach & Joachim Offenberg, 2021. "Ant colonies: building complex organizations with minuscule brains and no leaders," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 10(1), pages 55-74, March.
    7. Saerom (Ronnie) Lee, 2022. "The myth of the flat start‐up: Reconsidering the organizational structure of start‐ups," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1), pages 58-92, January.
    8. Richard M. Burton & Børge Obel, 2018. "The science of organizational design: fit between structure and coordination," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 7(1), pages 1-13, December.
    9. Marianne Livijn, 2019. "Navigating in a Hierarchy: How Middle Managers Adapt Macro Design," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 8(1), pages 1-27, December.
    10. Jose P. Arrieta & Yash R. Shrestha, 2022. "On the strategic value of equifinal choice," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 11(2), pages 37-45, June.
    11. A. Georges L. Romme, 2019. "Climbing up and down the hierarchy of accountability: implications for organization design," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 8(1), pages 1-14, December.
    12. Oliver Baumann & Brian Wu, 2023. "Managerial hierarchy in AI-driven organizations," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 12(1), pages 1-5, June.
    13. Paul C. Fenema & A. Georges L. Romme, 2020. "Latent organizing for responding to emergencies: foundations for research," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 9(1), pages 1-16, December.
    14. Stephan Billinger & Maciej Workiewicz, 2019. "Fading hierarchies and the emergence of new forms of organization," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 8(1), pages 1-6, December.
    15. Frank Martela, 2019. "What makes self-managing organizations novel? Comparing how Weberian bureaucracy, Mintzberg’s adhocracy, and self-organizing solve six fundamental problems of organizing," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 8(1), pages 1-23, December.
    16. Charles Karani & Patience Mshenga, 2021. "Steering the sustainability of entrepreneurial start-ups," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 11(1), pages 223-239, December.
    17. Adrianela Angeles & Adriana Perez-Encinas & Cristian E. Villanueva, 2022. "Characterizing Organizational Lifecycle through Strategic and Structural Flexibility: Insights from MSMEs in Mexico," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 23(2), pages 271-290, June.

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