IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/zbw/jumsac/294957.html

Environmental Context and Team Structure

Author

Listed:
  • Stevanovic, Anna

Abstract

Drawing on contingency and information processing theory, this study examines how environmental complexity and unpredictability influence team structure, namely the vertical hierarchy and the horizontal specification. These relationships are tested empirically using worldwide data from the video game industry covering the period 1995 to 2007. Results show that both, the levels of hierarchy and specialization, increase when teams face a complex environment. Meanwhile, the extent of vertical hierarchy as well as the degree of specialization decrease when teams are exposed to an unpredictable environment. Thereby a trade-off between emphasizing efficiency or choosing a more flexible structure exists.

Suggested Citation

  • Stevanovic, Anna, 2021. "Environmental Context and Team Structure," Junior Management Science (JUMS), Junior Management Science e. V., vol. 6(2), pages 393-407.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:jumsac:294957
    DOI: 10.5282/jums/v6i2pp393-407
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/294957/1/5111-3338.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.5282/jums/v6i2pp393-407?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jody Hoffer Gittell, 2001. "Supervisory Span, Relational Coordination and Flight Departure Performance: A Reassessment of Postbureaucracy Theory," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(4), pages 468-483, August.
    2. Justin J. P. Jansen & Frans A. J. Van Den Bosch & Henk W. Volberda, 2006. "Exploratory Innovation, Exploitative Innovation, and Performance: Effects of Organizational Antecedents and Environmental Moderators," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(11), pages 1661-1674, November.
    3. Gary S. Becker & Kevin M. Murphy, 1994. "The Division of Labor, Coordination Costs, and Knowledge," NBER Chapters, in: Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis with Special Reference to Education, Third Edition, pages 299-322, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Jay R. Galbraith, 1974. "Organization Design: An Information Processing View," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 4(3), pages 28-36, May.
    5. Markus Reitzig & Boris Maciejovsky, 2015. "Corporate hierarchy and vertical information flow inside the firm—a behavioral view," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(13), pages 1979-1999, December.
    6. Aaron J. Shenhar, 2001. "One Size Does Not Fit All Projects: Exploring Classical Contingency Domains," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 47(3), pages 394-414, March.
    7. Dongil D. Keum & Kelly E. See, 2017. "The Influence of Hierarchy on Idea Generation and Selection in the Innovation Process," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 28(4), pages 653-669, August.
    8. Liliana Pérez-Nordtvedt & G. Tyge Payne & Jeremy C. Short & Ben L. Kedia, 2008. "An Entrainment-Based Model of Temporal Organizational Fit, Misfit, and Performance," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 19(5), pages 785-801, October.
    9. Yue Maggie Zhou, 2013. "Designing for Complexity: Using Divisions and Hierarchy to Manage Complex Tasks," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(2), pages 339-355, April.
    10. Gary S. Becker & Kevin M. Murphy, 1994. "The Division of Labor, Coordination Costs, and Knowledge," NBER Chapters, in: Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis with Special Reference to Education, Third Edition, pages 299-322, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. J. Stuart Bunderson & Peter Boumgarden, 2010. "Structure and Learning in Self-Managed Teams: Why “Bureaucratic” Teams Can Be Better Learners," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(3), pages 609-624, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Meltem Altin & Mawih Kareem Al Ani & Habiba Al-Shaer & Mustafa Ozgun Atalay, 2025. "Exploring the nexus between environmental initiatives and audit fees: the moderating role of supplier ESG and environmental management training," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 5(10), pages 1-35, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Phanish Puranam & Harbir Singh & Saikat Chaudhuri, 2009. "Integrating Acquired Capabilities: When Structural Integration Is (Un)necessary," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 20(2), pages 313-328, April.
    2. Koehler, Maximilian & Sauermann, Henry, 2024. "Algorithmic management in scientific research," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(4).
    3. Linda Argote & Sunkee Lee & Jisoo Park, 2021. "Organizational Learning Processes and Outcomes: Major Findings and Future Research Directions," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(9), pages 5399-5429, September.
    4. Wouter DESSEIN & Desmond (Ho-Fu) LO & Ruo SHANGGUAN & Hideo OWAN, 2024. "The Management of Knowledge Work," Discussion papers 24044, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    5. Yu Zhou & Guangjian Liu & Xiaoxi Chang & Ying Hong, 2021. "Top-down, bottom-up or outside-in? An examination of triadic mechanisms on firm innovation in Chinese firms," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 20(1), pages 131-162, February.
    6. Pedro Parraguez & Steven Eppinger & Anja Maier, 2016. "Characterizing Design Process Interfaces as Organization Networks: Insights for Engineering Systems Management," Systems Engineering, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(2), pages 158-173, March.
    7. Zaggl, Michael A. & Pottbäcker, Judith, 2021. "Facilitators and inhibitors for integrating expertise diversity in innovation teams: The case of plasmid exchange in molecular biology," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(9).
    8. 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.
    9. Lin Xie & Biliang Luo & Wenjing Zhong, 2021. "How Are Smallholder Farmers Involved in Digital Agriculture in Developing Countries: A Case Study from China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-16, March.
    10. van Hoorn, Andre, 2013. "Trust and Organizational Design: Explaining Cross-National Differences in Work Autonomy," MPRA Paper 80016, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Mei Wen & Stephen P. King, 2006. "Push Or Pull? The Relationship Between Development, Trade And Primary Resource Endowment," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Christis Tombazos & Xiaokai Yang (ed.), Inframarginal Contributions To Development Economics, chapter 20, pages 497-529, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    12. Biller, Dan & Andres, Luis & Cuberes, David, 2014. "A dynamic spatial model of rural-urban transformation with public goods," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7051, The World Bank.
    13. Balland, Pierre-Alexandre & Broekel, Tom & Diodato, Dario & Giuliani, Elisa & Hausmann, Ricardo & O'Clery, Neave & Rigby, David, 2022. "Reprint of The new paradigm of economic complexity," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(8).
    14. Krishna, Pravin & Levchenko, Andrei A., 2013. "Comparative advantage, complexity, and volatility," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 314-329.
    15. Ruffin, Roy J., 2009. "The gains from specialization and population size," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 105(1), pages 76-77, October.
    16. Edward L. Glaeser, 1998. "Are Cities Dying?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 12(2), pages 139-160, Spring.
    17. Cici, Gjergji & Kempf, Alexander & Peitzmeier, Claudia, 2022. "Knowledge spillovers in the mutual fund industry through labor mobility," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    18. repec:awi:wpaper:0421 is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Alana Gilbert & Euan Phimister & Ioannis Theodossiou, 2003. "Low Pay and Income in Urban and Rural Areas: Evidence from the British Household Panel Survey," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 40(7), pages 1207-1222, June.
    20. Andrea Patacconi, 2009. "Coordination and delay in hierarchies," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 40(1), pages 190-208, March.
    21. David J. Deming, 2017. "The Growing Importance of Social Skills in the Labor Market," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 132(4), pages 1593-1640.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:jumsac:294957. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://jums.academy/en/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.