Determinants and consequences of task uncertainty: a laboratory and field investigation

Article Abstract:

This article presents evidence and argument concerning the utility of the concept of task uncertainty for organization theory and practice. The results from two studies, one field and one laboratory, are reported. The results support the hypotheses that: (1) perceptions of task uncertainty are a simple function of the number and analysability of exceptions encountered, and (2) perceptions of task exceptions and search difficulty have distinct relationships with behaviours of interest (communication and decision-making). Given these two findings, it is argued that the concept of task uncertainty should be replaced by the two source constructs. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

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Modeling organizational species' interdependence in an ecological community: an input-output approach

Article Abstract:

An organizational species' resource inputs and outputs comprise its most fundamental openness to its environment. An input-output model based on each species' resource exchanges with other species is a useful framework by which to operationalize and model the community-ecology perspective in organization theory. An input-output model provides a means of identifying each organizational species' niche within a given ecology and a means of modeling each species' direct and indirect dependence on other species for resources. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

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Interdependence: an alternative conceptualization

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Conceptualizations of interdependence offered by Thompson (1967) and McCann and Ferry (1979) fail to satisfy basic requirements for empirical or practical investigations of complex organizations. An alternative conceptualization based on interdependence theory (Kelley & Thibaut, 1978; Thibaut & Kelley, 1959) is presented here and used to explain the causes of interunit conflict and the effectiveness of coordination strategy. Hypotheses are presented, and future research is proposed. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

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