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The Flattening Firm and Product Market Competition

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Author Info
Guadalupe, Maria
Wulf, Julie

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Abstract

This paper establishes a causal effect of product market competition on various characteristics of organizational design. Using a unique panel dataset on firm hierarchies of large U.S. firms (1986-1999) and a quasi-natural experiment (trade liberalization), we find that increasing competition leads firms to flatten their hierarchies, i.e., (i) firms reduce the number of positions between the CEO and division managers and (ii) increase the number of positions reporting directly to the CEO (span of control). Firms also alter the structure and level of division manager compensation, increasing total pay as well as local (division-level) and global (firm-level) incentives. Our estimates show that for the average firm, span of control increased by 6% and depth decreased by 11% as a result of the quasi-natural experiment.

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Paper provided by C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers in its series CEPR Discussion Papers with number 7253.

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Date of creation: Apr 2009
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Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:7253

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Related research
Keywords: competition; complementarities; decentralization; hierarchy; incentives; organizational change; organizational structure; performance-related pay;

Find related papers by JEL classification:
L2 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior
M2 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting - - Business Economics
M52 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting - - Personnel Economics - - - Compensation and Compensation Methods and Their Effects

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This page was last updated on 2009-11-25.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.