Contributions

  • Rivkin, Jan W. - Contributor
  • Harvard Business School - Contributor

Publication

2008 - Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts

Language

English

Word Count

12,000 words, Guess

Page Count

48 pages

Identifiers

Description

Organizational design affects performance via coupled search processes. At low frequency, managers search for appropriate organizational designs. At higher frequency, managers use designs to search for high-performing operational choices. The two searches are coupled: organizational design molds the choice among operational alternatives, and performance feedback from operational choices shapes design. Our simulation model shows how coupled search processes can dramatically obscure the true impact of design on performance, confounding empirical research. We identify research strategies for tackling this difficulty; discuss populationlevel advantages of coupled search processes; and highlight implications for analogous coupled search processes that shape networks, cognition, and capabilities.

Subjects

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